


Starlight, Starbright

by blueroanmare



Series: Phoenix Rising series [2]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Angst, Chains, F/M, Hope vs. Despair, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Kidnapping, Major Original Character(s), Murder Mystery, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rape/Non-con Elements, Slave Gibbs, Slavery, Whipping, collared, slave tony, this woman is evil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-28
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-22 21:29:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13175580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueroanmare/pseuds/blueroanmare
Summary: This is a continuation of To Catch A Falling Star. So if you haven't I suggest you read that first. Gibbs and his team find a body that has ties to Phoenix, and set out to try and find her, and hopefully Jared as well. Will they succeed, or will someone get sucked back into the slave ring?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story is actually all written, but I will release each chapter every few days until it's all done. Just to keep the suspense going :)

_He shivered with cold. He was chained up in a chilly cell, with his hands above his head. He sat on the floor, awaiting Her. That was all he could do now. He had tossed away his one chance for freedom, for someone else. Did he regret it? He had a lot of time to ponder this answer. Was one man worth the misery, the lashes, the loss of freedom? He had to say yes, because the one man was worth so much. He was important to his job, which was to right the wrongs in his corner of the world. He knew that the silver haired man would have tried to rescue him, if he could find him. He knew though that She would have hidden him away. He merely existed to serve Her. He probably would never work his way back into Her good graces again, but he would try. He pulled on one of his wrist chains, just to break the silence with a sharp jangle. He carefully rested his mangled back against the cold wall, and waited for Her return._

Gibbs sipped his coffee. _What number is this again? Ah, who cares!_ He studied the papers in front of him. He couldn't concentrate though. He had that dream again last night and it was still haunting him. That dream where he was once again a slave. He had been tied up again and was submitting for lashes when he woke up. It had been the better part of a year since he had been rescued from Phoenix's slave ring. No trace had ever been found again since she and everyone else involved went underground. Gibbs wondered again what had become of Jared. He was forever grateful to the blonde haired slave who had thrown caution to the wind and sacrificed so much for himself and his teammates. _*RING!*_ His phone rang, and Gibbs snatched it up, grateful for the interruption of his memories. He listened a moment, said "Yup" to the caller, and stood. His team jumped up immediately as he ordered, "Gear up. Dead marine in the Park."

Soon the team were assembled together around the dead man. Ducky and Palmer were already on the scene. Dinozzo and McGee quickly got busy snapping photos and Bishop hunted around for clues. Ducky reviewed the case with Gibbs. The dead man was lying under a tree, his chest naked and covered in blood. There was a bullet wound in his head. Ducky pointed to this and said, "This would be the likely cause of death. It seems someone had a vendetta against this man." Gibbs asked, "Has he been stabbed multiple times?" Ducky shook his head, "No, the cuts on his chest do not seem deep enough to be stab wounds. I'll have to clean him up to see what these wounds are. Here, Palmer, help me turn him over." Palmer instantly complied. As they rolled over the corpse, Tony hovered nearby with his camera. Everyone gasped when they realized the back of the dead man was also covered in blood. "Damn…what did they do to him?" McGee asked. Ducky looked at Gibbs with a frown. "I'm not sure…I'll have a better idea once he's on my table." Gibbs had an inkling of what he was seeing, but chose not to comment. Ducky and Palmer prepared the man for transportation while the rest of the team scoured the area for any hints of what had happened.

Bishop remarked, "We did find his wallet tossed in a bush nearby. It looks like our victim is Lance Corporal Riley Randall." Dinozzo chimed in, "And he had ligature marks on his wrists. He was tied up somewhere. Could he have been tied here?" Everyone looked up at the tree. There was an overhanging branch where the LCp had lain. It did seem like the silvery bark of the tree had been damaged on that branch since it had been rubbed a darker colour on a particular spot. Tony managed a few shots of that.

Gibbs swung around at McGee's call, "Found something!" He strode over in time to see Tim pull out a shirt from under a covering rock. It was torn almost to pieces, but it was definitely the LCp's shirt. His name was still on it. It was quickly bagged and labeled for Abby. "No signs of our perpetrator?" Gibbs asked. Everyone shook their heads. Hopefully any clues would be on the clothes of the victim.

They headed back, with Gibbs being more silent than usual. He had a bad feeling about this case. He tried to shake off the vibes, but was unable to do so. Perhaps he just needed another coffee.


	2. Chapter 2

_He wondered when the next time would be when he was fed. He knew She would feed him in all good time. His body was already too thin, but She decided when he had behaved well enough to eat. His very life was in her hands, and he had long since accepted that fact. Here he was, mopping her kitchen floor, and there was a lovely fruit bowl just sitting so temptingly on the counter. He knew better than to reach and snatch even a mere grape. He would not anger Her. Sighing, he rubbed his wrists where his hands were still chained together, squeezed the extra water out of the mop, and stepped carefully so he would not trip on his shackles. She would be back soon, to check on his progress. If She wanted him to get down on his hands and knees and scrub the floor with a toothbrush, so be it. As long as he wasn't chained up again and punished…_

Ducky sighed as he covered the body before him. Gibbs should be down soon; he had an uncanny sense of timing when Ducky had finished or almost finished his autopsy. He pondered just how to give his report to Gibbs. Even Palmer was silent, a rare thing for the man. Both dreaded the sound of the elevator opening, but again both knew that the thing had to be dealt with.

Finally Gibbs strode in with Ellie at his side. "Whadya got, Duck?" Gibbs enquired, with a curt nod to the coroner. Bishop smiled and said good morning to Palmer, then noticed that neither doctor seemed willing to jump into things as usual. Gibbs quirked an eyebrow, "Well?!" Dr. Mallard nodded, and began, "Our LCp was a healthy man, 37 years old, who was shot in the head here. Abby is running ballistics as we speak. The marks on his wrist are not exactly recent...they happened quite some time before his death, although he was tied immediately prior to his death. The wounds on his back, well, Palmer, show them the pictures." They all looked up at the screen. Gibbs sucked in a breath when he saw the criss cross marks across the man's back. Ellie glanced in concern at her boss. She herself had seen Gibb's own marked back shortly after they rescued him, and it had looked like this. Except that this was worse, probably because it was so fresh.

Gibbs steadied himself, and made himself ask, "What about the markings on his chest?" Ducky replied, "Yes, well, that is the worst of it. I believe you might be able to identify this?" Without further ado, he peeled back the sheet covering the victim's chest. Gibbs wanted to throw up, a rare feeling, but he tamped down his feelings, and made himself look closely. The man's chest was carved, obviously by a knife, into a design. It looked like a bird with graceful flowing feathers. No...the feathers were on fire. Suddenly understanding, Gibbs spun on his heel and looked away. "Phoenix." He had not said that name for a very long time.

Ducky's face was full of concern. "Yes, I'm afraid that's what it is." Silence reigned for a moment, until broken when Gibbs walked away. Bishop started after him, then realizing he would need to be alone for the moment. "I'm not sure how to help Gibbs this time," she confided in Ducky. He nodded in understanding, "The only way you can help is to take her down, if you can." Ellie looked at the dead man once again, and thoughtfully said, "Now why would Phoenix go and shoot him, after going to the trouble of flogging him, never mind the, um, chest decoration?" She walked to the elevator, a very puzzled look on her face.

She soon sat down in her chair across from Tony. McGee was working away on his computer, but looked up when Bishop walked by him. Gibbs was nowhere to be seen. Tony asked, "What happened? Gibbs just blew by us and headed right to Vance without saying a word to us." Bishop quickly filled them in on Dr. Mallard's findings. Tony's face paled at the gruesome description, and Tim shook his head slowly. He said, "So the question is, how did LCp. Randall end up with her, and why did she kill him?" Tony added, "Plus leave a calling card?" There were definitely too many questions, and not enough answers. They'd have to wait to see what Abby came up with. All three were very worried about Gibbs. He'd been understandably jumpy when he came back from his failed undercover, and it seemed like history was going to bite them all in the asses again. Plus the fact that Phoenix wouldn't have liked to have lost her best fighter, although she had made no attempt to recover Gibbs. It was this lack of interest that had lulled them all into a false sense of security that this was behind them. Apparently not.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Gibbs walked into Vance's office without knocking as usual. Luckily the NCIS director was alone, and Dr. Mallard had already given him a heads up. He still wasn't giving Gibbs a pass on his rudeness though. "Gibbs, would it kill you for once to knock?" Gibbs curtly replied, "Nah. You hear what happened?" Vance nodded, "Yes, it seems Phoenix has resurfaced. You know you don't need to take this case if you don't want to. Perhaps it'd be better to have someone else have a go at it, since it is so personal to you." Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Nope. My case. My problem." Vance sighed, and stood up. "Gibbs, I know the risk as well as you do. Since we found you, there has been zero trace of the fight ring. Even Kade Nelson disappeared, and you know as well as I do that he wanted out of it. She knows you and your team. Perhaps it's time for someone new." Gibbs shook his head, "And for someone else to run the risk of crossing her again? We'll do it. We know her, and what we don't know, we'll find out." Vance looked at him for a good minute, then sat down again. "Fine, Gibbs. But just say the word at any time, and I'll reassign this to another team." Gibbs smiled his wry smile as he walked out, "Thanks, Director." Vance watched him shut the door, put his face in his hands, and wondered if he had done something stupid. Then again, there was no stopping Gibbs once he made up his mind about something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm. Is this wise, Gibbs? Remember, reviews are love! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out interesting...not where I thought I was heading...but don't worry. Things turn grey pretty soon.

_She had him punished in front of another slave. The other man was older, with sandy hair, and looked absolutely terrified. She was using a trick that he had seen with so many others, including himself. He knelt in front of her, and She asked him to stand up. He did so and just as he straightened his legs, She punched him so hard he went down again. As he looked up at Her, She asked him to stand again. He did so, and was knocked down with another punch. He knew what would happen next. She'd continue to make him stand, and punch him every single time. The lesson was to obey, no matter what She asked, even knowing you'd get a painful reminder of that fact. The other slave finally couldn't take it in silence anymore. He started to scream at Her to stop. She merely threatened him with a gag, which made the slave shut up. She turned back to him, and once more asked him to stand. He sighed, then struggled to stand, and braced for another punch, which didn't come. She released him from punishment, and took the other slave away. He went back to his duties, and it was only then he realized that the other slave wasn't even wearing a collar..._

Gibbs walked down to where his team were standing, all ready to share with him what they had found so far. Bishop clicked the remote to show Lance Corporal Randall's photo, and started things off by saying, "LCp Randall is 37 year old, clean record, served time in Afghanistan, and was currently on leave. He had no problems with his unit, and was well liked." McGee added, "Phone records don't show anything unusual at the moment. We have a BOLO out for his car, a grey Honda Accord, as it hasn't been found yet." Tony chimed in with, "Doesn't seem to have a family; his dad died when he was a kid of a heart attack and his mother of cancer a few years ago. No other siblings that I can find." Gibbs looked at them, "So in other words, no connections with Phoenix." Ellie shook her head, "There must be a connection somewhere that we're missing that isn't in his military jacket. If she just grabbed him off the street, don't you think he'd be bungled off somewhere?" Tony finished the thought, "And not whipped in the Park and left for dead? Yeah, there's something that's fishy about this. Gibbs?"

Gibbs sat down heavily. He paused, then said, "I agree. Meeting in Abby's lab in 5." He then stood and made his way to the elevator, leaving everyone standing there in confusion.

A few minutes later, the team was gathered in the lab. Abby was surprised that everyone was there especially as she hadn't finished running her tests yet. Tim, being the first one there, had filled her in quickly on the current happenings. Gibbs finally walked in, and his team looked at him expectantly. He looked at each person in turn, then explained, "I didn't want someone overhearing what I have to say. Only you guys know something of what I went through." He looked at Ellie and Tony, "You're right, she wouldn't have killed him if she wanted him for herself. When I was captured...I was….sold...to her. I also saw others being bought and sold. It's not pretty...but in general each man…or slave...is well treated at the auction block. You're in chains, yes, but they try not to damage you, because that brings down your price." He watched his team mates trying not to wince at his words, and continued, "Randall obviously wasn't meant to be sold. She had a reason for doing what she did. Up to us to figure out why." Abby walked over to Gibbs and gave him a big hug. "That was probably hard to share, but thank you." Gibbs gave her a pat, then was all business again, "You got Randall's address? Then…." *BEEP* He was interrupted by McGee's phone. Tim looked at it, then up at his boss, "Got something from that BOLO. Car matching the description of Randall's car was found." Gibbs nodded, "Fine, you and I will check that out. Bishop and Dinozzo, Randall's apartment." A "sure Boss" was heard as the team scattered to their respective duties. Abby turned back to her pending report and started talking to the machine to hurry it along.

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Tony and Ellie were at LCp Randall's apartment, having gotten the landlord to open it up for them. "Thanks," said Bishop to the worried looking landlord, who nodded and hurried off. The two walked in and looked about. It was a mess. Tables and chairs were overturned, and there was broken glass in a corner. "Looks like there was a fight." Tony surmised. "Think they grabbed him here, or were they just looking for something?" He went into the bedroom while she went into the kitchen. Both were surprisingly tidy. Both agents circled back around to the overthrown living room. After rummaging around and collecting evidence, they stopped to ponder the situation. Tony cocked his head and said, "Looks like he was captured here. The lock on the door is fine, so he must have opened the door and gotten surprised." Ellie agreed, "There is a bit of blood over here but not enough for the chest wound. He did have a split lip though, so it's probably from that. Otherwise, I would say from looking at the body, he was taken down and fast with not much chance of retaliation." Tony had been fishing around the broken glass and taken some samples. "Found a hair here...I don't think it's Randall's...it's too long. Well, we'll see what Abby makes of this."

Ellie checked the fridge, and noticed that things didn't look very fresh in there. "I wonder how long he's been missing? I realize that he was on leave for a few months, but it does seem strange that no one's reported him missing. Didn't he have any friends?" Tony facepalmed himself, "That's what's been missing! Did you notice that there aren't any pictures around anywhere except for that one with his parents? I hate that feeling that I'm missing something, but it's right in front of my face! You're right, there's nothing around. Wait...I think I saw a photo album in the bedroom. Let me grab that."

Later, Abby and Ellie poured through the photo album while they waited on the results of the hair. They were mostly pictures of Randall as a child with his parents, although there a few of him with his division and on some of his vessels. As Abby was identifying the people in the photos, Ellie started to put the album on the desk. It slipped, and landed on the floor with a THUD! "Oops, sorry about that, Abby!" she exclaimed and hurriedly stooped to pick it up. She paused, with the book open on the floor in front of her. The back of the album had an extra compartment that they had missed, and there was a corner of a photo peeking out. She pointed this out to Abby, and they carefully pulled the picture out. There was a smiling Randall as a very young child, next to another boy, who looked a bit younger than him. "I wonder who this is? Doesn't this child look a bit like Randall?" Ellie queried. Abby peered at the children, and agreed, "Yeah he does, actually. But wasn't Randall an only child? So it could have been a childhood friend. Wait, let me check something out." She turned to her computer and punched a lot of buttons. Presently she found what she was looking for. "See, look!" Ellie gasped at what she saw, thanked Abby, and ran to tell Gibbs and the rest of the team.

Gibbs had just sat down and sipped at his coffee when Bishop came running in. He looked at her expectantly as she caught her breath. "You'll never guess what Abby and I uncovered!" She now had everyone's full attention. "Remember that photo album that Tony found? There was an extra picture of it...here, I'll show you." She clicked the remote which brought up the picture on screen for the team to see. "This child is Riley Randall...and *this* child...is his brother. Randall was adopted."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some answers...some more questions...how is this case unfolding?

_He lay in his cell, staring at the door. Once it would have been unlocked, and he free to come and go as he pleased, as long as he did his duties. Now it was locked shut, and he lay on a bare floor, shackled to the wall. He was trying so hard! He turned his head in the darkness, a sound coming to him from the aisle. He saw the slave-that-was-not-a-slave coming to him, a flashlight in one hand and a key in the other. The man whispered, "Jared? You must come with me now." He unlocked the door, stopped in front of the trembling slave, and laid his hand on him. "I've searched for so long for you. You must come away with me immediately!" He answered back, "I can't." The man stopped unchaining him long enough to exclaim, "There isn't any time! Let's go!" The chains dropped off his wrists, and he rubbed the ruined skin on his wrists, but remained on the floor. "I can't! I am not allowed!" The man reached down and grabbed his arm to pull him up, but he yanked his arm back. "No! I'm not going with you! My place is here, where She put me, or at Her side." The man bent down to his eye level, "I realize this is difficult for you. Please...this is your one chance…" He stood and whipped around when the door banged open, and She was there, a gun in her hand. "So you're trying to steal my slave away, are you? Luckily he knows his place very well. Put his chains back on him. NOW!" The man hesitated, but at the waggle of her gun, stooped again, whispered, "Sorry" to him and chained him again. Now She yanked the man's arm, shut and locked his cell door, and disappeared._

"He was adopted?" exclaimed Tim. "So then they were split up as children. I can hack int…. _ahem_ …. **look at** the adoption records to find out who the other child was. Perhaps he was trying to find his brother. Doesn't explain the Phoenix connection, but it's a start!"

He busied himself with his computer and soon enough came up with the information. "So it says here that Jordan Randall was adopted by Peter and Lisa Malone. They live here...here's the address." Gibbs nodded to Tony to signal that they two would head out to see them. Ellie and Tim would stay to try and find more clues.

Later, at the Malone's house, Gibbs knocked on the door. A friendly-looking older lady answered the door. Gibbs nodded politely and asked, "Lisa Malone?" The woman smiled and responded, "Yes, I am. Who's asking?" The two agents showed their badges and Gibbs replied, "I am Special Agent Gibbs, and this is Agent Dinozzo from NCIS. We had a few questions to ask you and your husband, if you don't mind." Puzzled but polite, Mrs. Malone withdrew from the door, motioning the agents inside, "Of course, Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo. Come on in. My husband is in the backyard fiddling with the BBQ." She lead them into a homey living room and asked them to sit on the couch while she got her husband. Soon, a burly man walked in and greeted the agents, "Hello, I'm Peter. How can I help you guys?" He and his wife settled onto their respective chairs and waited expectantly. Gibbs looked at Dinozzo, and he started things off, "We are investigating a case and your name came up. You adopted Jordan Randall?" Mrs. Malone visibly started, and Mr. Malone put his hand on hers. He responded, "Yes, we did...but what does this have to do with NCIS?" Gibbs answered, "His brother, Riley Randall, was a Marine. He turned up dead, and we're trying to find out why." Mr. Malone sighed, "Oh. That's...unfortunate. We did adopt Jordan as a little boy, but we didn't realize he had a brother. But anyway, our son has been missing for the last nine years." Lisa started to cry, and her husband hugged her. He continued, "We also changed his name when he was adopted. He isn't Jordan anymore, but Jared."

The agents were totally stunned. _Could it be…. **that** Jared?_ Gibbs gathered himself together and asked, "Could we have a picture of him?" Mrs. Malone wiped her tears away and stood up. She walked over to the fireplace and picked up a picture frame. "This is from shortly before he left us. You can have it for now if it helps your investigation." Gibbs and Dinozzo peered at the handsome young man in the photo frame, and the look they gave each other confirmed it. It was, without a doubt, the Jared that helped Gibbs be free. Mrs. Malone looked at them with misty eyes, "Do you know anything about my son?" Gibbs hesitated, and answered, "We might...how did he disappear in the first place?" Mr. Malone squeezed his wife's hand again, and responded, "Jared was always a good boy. He was 26 when we saw him last. He was in university to become a doctor. One day, he drove out in his car and vanished. We never heard from him again. They found the car, eventually, but it was totally squeaky clean. There was no reason he'd run away...he wasn't like that at all...but there has been nothing for last nine years."

Gibbs pondered on telling them that as far as he knew, Jared was alive. But the troubling thing was the circumstances: their son was in a living hell. He had to give them **some** explanation for coming to them, but he was reluctant to give them such news. Dinozzo waited, knowing that Gibbs would take the lead on this. Lisa Malone saw Gibb's hesitation, and cried, "Please, tell me! Is my son dead?! What happened to my son, Agent Gibbs?" The silver haired man finally looked the couple in the eyes, "Jared, as of last year, was still alive. But...we don't know if he still is." Jared's parents gasped in shock at this news. Mr. Malone ventured to ask, "What happened?" The agents gave the short answer of what had happened with Gibbs. "I am so grateful to your son for giving me my freedom. I truly wish that I could have saved him too. We looked so long after they went underground to find him, but there was nothing, until now. I can't divulge any details now, but it seems that the person responsible has resurfaced." Peter looked at his wife, then asked, "This person...killed Jared's brother, right?" Dinozzo nodded in the affirmative. "I'm sorry," he said. The Malones, tears in their eyes, hugged each other once again, and the wife responded, "Thank you for telling us this. It's been so hard these past years. Not knowing where he is, whether he is alive or dead….I'm sorry this happened to you, and I'm glad that Jared helped save you. It sounds exactly like something he'd do."

The agents stood and took their leave of the grieving couple. They were pretty quiet on their way back to NCIS. Tony had already called the team to update them on this newest finding. Gibb's mind was filled of memories of Jared: how he took care of Phoenix's slaves, how he did stuff for her, including punishment. He remembered the few times Jared took a whip to his back, knowing that the slave had no choice in the matter. The one time Jared had come to his cell, covered in bruises and walking stiffly, and finding out that he had been made to serve Phoenix in bed. The time he came and sat with Gibbs after that last brutal whipping. His last sacrifice, in saving himself and his agents from Phoenix's gun. Oh Jared...where are you? Are you suffering now for what you did? Do you regret it?

They had almost reached NCIS when they heard a sharp crack, then a **BANG** as a tire exploded. Gibbs hung on to the wheel as the car careened suddenly to the left. He had been driving on a quiet road so there was no one to hit head on. Tony looked around to see who had shot at them. Gibbs gave up controlling the car when the ditch loomed up. Both men had just enough time to brace themselves as the car went into the ditch, and rolled over. When the car finally stopped itself, Gibbs was unconscious. Tony was barely hanging on to the waking world when he felt himself being dragged out of the car. He mumbled, "Boss?" He felt something cold go around his wrists as his arms were yanked backward. He gave himself up to the darkness just as he felt the same coldness around his ankles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I think our agents are in trouble now. Pretty sure you've guessed who has them! Now are they going to make it out this time? Tell me what you think!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the boys are gone...but are they gone for good? How are the team going to get them back?

_He liked this tiny window hidden away in a room She rarely used. It was the only one that did not have frosted glass. He didn't even think She knew about this window. He looked outside, although there was nothing to see but trees. He sighed and bent down to squint at the sky. It was dark and he hoped to see some stars. Perhaps he could make a wish on one. His shackles jangled as he tried to find purchase on the slippery hardwood floor. At least he was free of the wrist chains today. Unfortunately, the night was cloudy so there were no stars, no moon...no wishes. There was nothing out there to see. Unbidden, a song popped into his head._

There's not a soul out there  
No one to hear my prayer...

_He told himself to stop it, get back to work, don't be foolish. He had no time for silly songs._

Gimme, gimme, gimme  
A man after midnight  
Take me through the darkness  
To the break of the day…

_He wrenched himself away from the window. There was only one man he ever thought about...but he hoped to never see him again. If he saw him, it would mean that neither were free. He left the room, shut the door, and walked down the hallway just in time to meet Her. She looked him over, and motioned to Her room. He followed her in and waited expectantly. She stooped down and unlocked his shackles and tossed them aside. Standing up, She pointed at the bed and quirked an eyebrow at him._ No...not this again. It hurts too much. _He sighed, and obediently started stripping._

McGee was pounding away on his computer when he suddenly stopped. Bishop looked, and saw his face go white. "What happened?" she asked, jumping up. He stared at his screen, then up at the blonde woman. "I….lost them...I don't know what happened." Ellie shook her head, "What are you even talking about? You're making no sense!" Tim motioned her to come closer and pointed at his screen, "Look...I got an alert about Gibb's car. You know we have trackers on it. The tracker just went. The signal is just….GONE...it disappeared." He looked up and met Bishop's eyes. She looked at the screen, spun around and grabbed her jacket, "Let's go!". Tim leaped out of his chair and they both ran to the elevator. Ellie dialed Abby in the elevator while Tim phoned Vance. The agents got to their car and was about to peel away when they saw Abby running toward them. Bishop waited until Abby jumped in before flooring it. She sped down the road, nearly missing an oncoming car. McGee hung on for dear life and directed her where she needed to go. Abby was uncharacteristically quiet the entire way.

Finally McGee pointed and said, " **There!** That's Gibbs' car!" Bishop pulled over and everyone jumped out. They ran to the car that was now upside down in the ditch. "Gibbs! Tony!" Abby called out. They looked at the car...and no one was there. They all stopped, puzzled. Ellie looked around at the ground, and saw drag marks. "Wait! Be careful where you step." Tim ran back to their car to grab the camera. He returned with it and started snapping pictures. Bishop turned to Abby, "Where should the tracker be?" Abby snapped to attention, and replied, "It should be in the wheel well somewhere." She carefully walked around the rolled over car, checking each wheel well carefully. "Well...it WAS here." McGee and Bishop looked at where Abby was pointing. There was a cleaner spot in the right front wheel well, just the right size and shape of a GPS tracker that was no longer there. "Well that's gone then...but why would the signal disappear?" Bishop asked. The three of them hunted around the car until Tim found it. He looked it over, then told the others, "The signal's been destroyed completely. That's why it just went off my screen. So...where did they go now?"

A black car pulled up, and Vance leaped out of the vehicle. "I came as soon as I could. Are Gibbs and Dinozzo okay?" Bishop looked at the Director. "We don't know. They're gone." Vance startled, then looked at the overturned car. " **Damn it!** " he exclaimed. Everyone knew exactly who had them, but no one wanted to say _for sure_ , because that would just make it the more real. Abby had been scrounging around in the car for any more clues, and they heard a "Shit!" coming from the interior. Abby pulled herself out and held up a paper in her hands. It was a drawing of a flaming bird.

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Gibbs woke up slowly. _Since when was my bed so hard?_ As he regained more consciousness, he realized that he was **not** in bed, but on a bare floor. Memories suddenly flashed through his mind...the rifle shot, the tire blowing, the crash. In an instant he tried to leap up, but came crashing down again. He hadn't realized he was bound hand and foot. _Wait...Dinozzo was with me._ He looked around and saw the younger agent on the other side of the cell. Gibbs crept over to the sleeping man. "Dinozzo? Dinozzo! Wake up!" Tony stirred, and started to wake. Gibbs pulled himself up into a sitting position beside Dinozzo and continued to bump him awake. He looked around and sighed. He knew without a shadow of a doubt what had happened. But where was he now? He turned his attention back to Tony when the man opened his eyes. "Boss? What happened?" Tony tried to sit up and failed. "Take it easy Tony. You're wearing cuffs and shackles. Sit up slowly." Gibbs said, trying to sound casual. Dinozzo felt around and realized Gibbs was right. He struggled up to as sitting position. "Okay, what the **hell** happened? One minute we're getting shot at, the next the car crashed. I just remember getting pulled out and...oh. Really?" He looked at Gibbs with an understanding expression on his face. Gibbs responded with a nod, "Yup. 'Fraid so." He leaned back against the wall with a shrug. Tony was scared, but for the sake of his boss he tried not to show it. They waited in silence for someone to come.

After what seemed like an hour, the door of the room they were in clicked open. Gibbs sucked in a breath when Phoenix appeared, but otherwise kept a straight face. She had a slave with her. She stood in front of the single cell in the room and gazed at them. Finally she spoke, "So...awake are we?" She smiled a predatorial smile, and Dinozzo tried to keep himself from shivering. She unlocked the door and motioned the slave in. He glanced nervously at Phoenix, then entered the cell. He stooped down and checked the agents' wounds. He lifted their shirts up to check for broken ribs. Tony had a glimpse of the old whip scars on his boss's back and looked away quickly. He got a close up look at the slave's metal collar and remembered the trouble they had getting Gibbs' collar off him. He had hated his own leather undercover collar, but now in all likeliness he'd wear the real thing. The slave found nothing broken, and stood quickly. He nodded at Phoenix, "They're fine...just a bunch of bruises." She nodded, "Good. Give them some food and water." The slave hurried off to do her bidding. Phoenix glanced down once again at the men, "He used to be an ER doctor. I find him useful sometimes. As for you fellas, once you've been refreshed, we'll move you. Gibbs, you won't need any training, unless somehow you've forgotten everything I ever taught you. The other one though...he will need it." Gibbs retorted, "You don't need him. It's me you want. Let him go." She laughed. "That's what you want to believe, is it? I saw this guy when he was undercover. He is just as delicious as I remember." She held Tony's face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "I know you'll be fun to work with. You're probably not as stubborn as your... _boss_...but yet...hmmm." Straightening herself, she left the cell, locked the door, and hung the key on a hook on the wall. She exited the room, leaving two despairing men behind.

Soon enough though, the slave returned with two bottles of water and two pieces of plain bread. Since neither Gibbs nor Tony could hold the items, the slave held the water for them so they could drink. As the slave fed Gibbs his share of the bread, Dinozzo asked, "What's your name? Do you know where we are?" The black haired slave glanced at the handsome agent, and replied, "Sorry. I'm not allowed to speak to you." He finished with Gibbs, cleaned up the crumbs, and stood. He got the key off the wall and locked the cell door. He left, taking the key with him.

Tony grimaced, and said to Gibbs, "Hey boss, sorry you're here again." Gibbs only grunted, then sighed. "Not your fault. Just...do what they tell you. No matter what."

A little bit later, two women walked in. Without a word they unlocked the door and grabbed each agent and dragged them to their feet. "Hey! Ever heard of the word please?!" Tony yelped. The woman slapped him across the face, hard. He wasn't daunted though, " Youch! You know that saying? A spoonful of sugar?" Gibbs just growled, "Tony…" That made him shut up as they were both hauled to the door. Both men had a hard time keeping up with the women as their feet were shackled too close to walk normally.

They entered a hallway into a large room. Tony looked around. There were women dealing with male slaves everywhere. Gibbs was pulled to one side and through another doorway. He himself was tugged to a table, where someone kicked out his legs under him, making him fall into a heap. His head was held by a very strong woman and a silvery metal collar was snapped onto his throat. It had a little ring on the front of it where his woman clipped a leash on. He was then pulled to his feet again and made to fall into a corner. A woman slipped a blindfold on him, and then he felt himself held down as his chains came off. That wasn't the only thing to come off though...he felt his clothes being stripped off him. He started to yell but was only rewarded with a good punch. He was felt all over, even in embarrassing areas. Then to his relief, he felt shorts being tugged on him again. Next came the cold snap of chains on his wrists and ankles again. He was hauled up to his feet again and he stumbled blindly after the now invisible woman. She pushed him around corners and finally down to the floor and slipped off the blindfold. Tony found himself alone in a cell, and without the least idea of what happened to Gibbs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I think life sucks for everyone involved. Hopefully things will look up soon? Bonus points to anyone who guessed where the song came from ;) I just had to


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Questions are getting answered...except for the one that is the most important of all...are the boys going to survive? Is anyone?

_He was so *tired*. She had come to him and decided he needed another lesson. She strung him up once again, and he resigned himself to the coming pain._ What did I do this time? _He wondered. It didn't really matter...he was Her slave, and She could do whatever She like to him, at any time. The first lash burned like fire. The second one crossed over the first. He made himself be a million miles away. He'd heard a rumour...CRACK!...that the Fox was back...CRACK!...he hoped it wasn't true. CRACK! He didn't know what to do if it was true. He hadn't seen him...CRACK!...but he knew that she did everything in good time. The whipping continued, and he thought again of blue skies, grass under his feet, and the smiling faces of his mother and father. CRACK! He hoped they were okay...that she had done nothing to them. CRACK! He also thought of the beautiful blonde woman who had come undercover with Tony. He had really liked her...CRACK!...but of course she'd never look at someone like him with anything but pity. He moaned as She brought her arm down again with a vicious stroke._

Ellie and Tim were huddled together with Abby in the lab. They figured that they could find Gibbs and Dinozzo faster if they came up with ideas together. McGee had filled Abby in on what they had found out from Dinozzo about Jared's parents. Abby shook her head, "I can't imagine what those poor people are going through. First their son just _disappears_ , then they find out his brother was looking for him, and is now murdered by the same person that has been torturing their son for years!" Bishop frowned, "There's something we're missing. Something has to give us a clue about this whole situation. Setting aside our own problem, how did Randall find out about Jared? There's something that doesn't sit right with me. I think if we can figure out that, we'll be able to find all three of them." _Or four, if you count Phoenix_ , she thought, and she could tell the others were thinking the same thing.

They decided to question his fellow Marines and his CO. LCp Randall might have shared something. The last time they had talked to his CO, they didn't know about the Jared connection. Perhaps someone else did. McGee and Bishop decided to fly out to Randall's vessel, and Abby would continue to sift through the evidence, hoping for an additional clue.

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Agent Bishop introduced herself and McGee to the tall and handsome Commanding Officer of the US. Navy ship _Miranda_. McGee leaned in for a handshake as well. "Good morning, Agents Bishop and McGee. I am General Keene. I understand that Lance Corporal Randall was killed. We were so sorry to hear about his death. He will be greatly missed." Ellie smiled grimly, "Yes, and we are trying to find his killer. We do have some new information that could help us though. We'd like to question his unit, or any friends he had." The CO nodded, "Of course. Perhaps I know the answer to your question. He and I had many friendly chats during his time here." McGee answered, "We found out that he was adopted and had a brother. We're sure he was looking for him. Did he mention that to you?" General Keene thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No, he did not. But perhaps he did to someone else. I will show you to his bunk, and you can talk to the men there." Bishop smiled in acknowledgement, and they followed the man to the LCp's bunk.

All three men in the room jumped to attention when the CO walked in. "At ease," he said. "These agents would like to talk to you about Randall." They relaxed and looked sober. One said, "Riley was a great guy. Hope you find the bastard who killed him." Bishop looked at him and replied, "That's what we're trying to do. We're hoping you guys can help."

Later, the two agents were questioning the last man, Ensign Trent. The other two hadn't known a thing. Ensign Trent was saying, "Riley was so nice to me. This is my first stint, you see, and he was so helpful and friendly. We became really good friends, and I'm just devastated that he's gone." McGee replied, "I am sorry for your loss. Did Riley tell you he was adopted? And that he had a brother?" Trent was startled, but answered, "Yes, actually he did. He mentioned he had been trying to track down his brother. Seems the two of them got split up as kids, or something like that." McGee and Bishop looked at each other in surprise. She said, "Go on. What else did he tell you?" The young man looked really nervous, and seemed to weigh his options. Finally he said, "Yeah, um, Riley found out his brother was renamed Jared and that he disappeared. The cops didn't find anything, but that's because Riley took the one evidence...a picture of a bird that was on fire. It didn't mean anything to him at the time but he figured it was important." Bishop leaned forward and asked, "You mean he found a picture of a phoenix?" She thought quickly back to the overturned car with the same picture...or warning…

"Yes," Trent continued, "He only found out it was an actual person a year ago. Something to do with an NCIS agent disappearing. I **told** him not to try and find her." Bishop held in a gasp. How did this mere ensign know about Gibb's disappearance? McGee glanced at her, frowning. He asked, "Wait. How do you know all this?" Trent shook his head, "Riley wouldn't listen to me. I told him that she was too dangerous. Let bygones be bygones. But **nooooo**. He found something...he didn't tell me what. Then he goes and takes 6 weeks leave so he could find his brother! I tried to get him to stay, but…" he trailed off with a shrug. Ellie cocked her head in puzzlement. "So...how did you know who she was, and that she was dangerous?" Ensign Trent looked up at her with tears in eyes, "Because she took my dad." He looked down at the desk while the two agents looked at each other in shock. Finally the man continued, "It happened when I was a kid. Apparently my dad crossed her somehow...I don't know...I never heard the rights of it. But she broke into our house, and beat him to a pulp in front of us. I was twelve. My mom couldn't save him...they wouldn't let her. Then they chained him up, and took him away. We were told to never, EVER look for him, or her. We've never heard from either of them again. When I found out Riley was hunting her out, I told him this. But he was all afire with a damned hero complex or something. He was going to find his brother, and find my dad if he could. If either of them were still alive, that is." He looked up at the agents, and finished, "Tell me you aren't looking for them. Get out of this...or at least leave me out of this whole thing. I don't want to be dragged under to her slave world." Bishop paused, then reached down and gave the sobbing man a big hug. "Thank you for sharing this. I'm so sorry about your dad. This is completely off the record, okay?" The ensign nodded in thanks and wiped his tears.

The agents took their leave of him, having gotten what they needed to know. Here was the thread that bound them all together...themselves, Gibbs, Jared, Randall...and now Tony too. Randall must have found out where she was, and she took him and destroyed him. How were they supposed to get Gibbs and Dinozzo back if that's how Phoenix repaid people?

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Tony shivered in his cell. He was only clad in shorts and chains, neither of which were very warm in a cool cell. It was nearly a week later, judging by the slop they called a _meal_ twice a day. He had been taken out several times a day, for "training". As far as he was concerned, "training" was just an excuse for him to be beat up for any old thing. They tried to get him to lead _properly_ on a leash, to serve the women in what they wanted with no questions or hesitation. If he didn't obey (which was often) he was punched and kicked. If he complained or was smart with them (which was also often) he was gagged. He hadn't seen Gibbs this entire time, and hoped he was okay. _Okay being relative, of course._ He knew Gibbs would be with HER. In what capacity though? This area didn't look like the fight ring from last time, but of course last time he wasn't behind the scenes. Dinozzo knew somehow the women were holding back on him. They had not *touched* him since that first day, although the wolfish expressions told him they wanted to, more than anything. They also had not whipped him, even when his antics had probably have earned him some stripes. He had witnessed other slaves being whipped though, and it was not a pretty sight. He looked up and saw Victoria, his "trainer", walk in. She entered his cell and clipped his leash on him. "Come on," she said. Tony reluctantly stood up, careful not to trip himself on the way up. He followed her to the great room, and stopped by a training station. He was with three other newish slaves, and they all faced Victoria. She thought for a minute, and realized she had forgotten to undo Tony's chains. Hurriedly, she did so, then stood with a wolfish smile on her face. "Today, boys, you get to learn instant obedience." She held a cane in her hand. "When I tell you to strip, you are going to do it **immediately**. If you're too slow, you'll make friends with this cane. Then, when I tell you, you will dress as fast as you can. The slowest one gets a few cracks with this cane. Then we'll do it all over again, until you can all do it quickly and smoothly. Ready? **Strip!** "

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Gibbs was on his knees before Phoenix. The last few days had been pure hell. He had been beaten, gotten a few touches with the lash, and most of all, he had to submit to her. She smiled down at him, "Well, my Silver Fox, I think you remember all your training, for the most part." She held his chin with her hand and raised his head so he had to meet her eyes. "You must be wondering what I've done with Jared, hmmm? And there is no fight ring any longer, eh?" Gibbs didn't reply. He knew that he'd find things out in time, when she wanted him to. She continued, "Nothing to say? Well, I'll tell you anyway. You and Jared and Kade nearly brought down the entire ring. So...we went underground. We broke up our fight ring, but we women still train slaves. There is a growing demand for them. We ship them around the world on the black market. Some, we keep for ourselves. Some are sent off to other fight rings...those who do know about us. And most of those who know do not bother with us, for fear of being sucked in, or ending up six feet under." Gibbs clamped his jaw in an effort to remain still. He was worried about Dinozzo but he was going to be damned if he was going to show her that. She could do what she liked to him, if only she left his agent alone. He made himself ask, "What happened to Kade?" Phoenix paused for a second. _Should I punish him for speaking out of turn?_ She finally decided to let this slide, and answered, "Kade Nelson died under my lash. He was not worthy to live."

Phoenix looked at him again, and pulled on his leash to cue Gibbs up. He rolled his feet in a practiced way to stand without disturbing the shackles. He was dressed like every other slave he had seen here, merely in shorts and collar, with of course for today the added shackles. He waited for Phoenix to give him her next order when she put her hand on his chest. He glared at her, showing him he wasn't broken yet, not by a long shot. She smiled as her hand explored his chest, then traveled down his body to the bottom of his ribcage. He cocked his head at her warningly. She ignored his signals, and made her hand continue slowly down to the shorts and held it there at the waistline. A growl started low in his throat, which was cut off when she reached up with the other hand to grab him by the collar. Gibbs huffed a breath when she slipped her hand down under the waistline, then suddenly Phoenix seemed to change her mind. "That needed work," she said, grinning at him. "I want to work on something else, Fox. Something Jared had to learn. I think you're ready for it."

She tugged at his leash and lead him to a small room. Gibbs startled when he saw Tony already there. Tony, who looked like he'd been run over by a truck. Victoria was there, holding on to his leash. The younger man saw him, and breathed, "Gibbs…" only to be interrupted by a vicious yank on his collar. Gibbs looked at Phoenix, trying to figure out what what she wanted now. She nodded to Victoria, who in turn spun Tony around and chained him to the wall. Tony turned his head as best he could to see what was going on. Victoria then went to a cupboard in the room, fished out a whip, and handed it to Phoenix. _No...she's going to whip him while I watch._ Gibbs broke the silence, "Come on, you don't need to do that to him. Use me instead." Phoenix smiled, and responded, "Thirty lashes for him. I saved him for this moment." Gibbs tried not to plead, but had to say, "No. Whip me if you want to. Leave him alone...why do you want to whip him?" She answered with a low purr, "Ah, my Fox. I am not going to touch him. **You** will whip him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh oh...this isn't good. Nope, this isn't good at all.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow is it Chapter 7 already? The pieces are starting to come together, but will our agents fall apart first? Tell me what you think in your review! :)

_He stood there in deep thought. He was supposed to be frying up Her dinner, but he couldn't concentrate. He knew the Silver Fox was here. When would he be permitted to see him? And was he alone? That he hadn't heard. He hoped so, for the sake of the kind agents he had met. The one called...Tony?...was a good guy at heart. He only met the other one briefly that fateful night, but he had liked him too. And Gibbs...well...was Gibbs...he had so much fire in him. He was so deep in his thoughts that he did not even hear Her come into the kitchen. He jumped two feet when he heard her say, "Where's my supper, boy?" He looked down in horror at the burnt steak and potatoes. Obviously, he hadn't been paying attention. He trembled as he heard her walk up beside him. "What did you do to it?!" He turned off the stove, and knelt on the floor, "I'm so sorry, my lord. I wasn't paying attention, and I should have been." She was furious. "What were you thinking of?" She lowered her voice, "Or who?" He felt a fire burning inside him, "That is none of your business." She hissed at him, "It **is** my business when you ruin my supper." He refused to say anything more, even with a punch to the face. His cheek split open, he set his mouth. She growled, and dragged him away to his cell. She chained him standing up, kicked his legs open and chained them that way. She punched him in the gut a few times, then stormed away. He was only taken down the next morning, exhausted._

Abby called McGee and Bishop down to the lab. She smiled as Tim handed her a nice large cup of Caf-Pow, and launched into what she had to say, "So...I've been doing my share of digging around. The hair that you found at Randall's apartment doesn't belong to Phoenix. But it does belong to Katie Carter. Now...get this: she's a girl in blue." Ellie looked at the photo of the brunette woman. "Really? She's a cop?" Abby responded, "Yes! A dirty one by the sounds of it. There's been a lot of blanks when it comes to Carter. Seems a fair number of bad guys 'disappear' after she's arrested them and they're let off for something or other." McGee understood, "So...you think she's tipping off Phoenix...and helping her get slaves?" He looked at Bishop, "Guess we need to go talk to her." A *bing* sound came from Abby's computer. She opened the message. "Uh...guys? You might want to look at this first." They peered at the email:

_Dear Ms. Sciuto,_

_I hear you are hunting Phoenix. I wish to speak with in private. Meet me at the hotdog stand near your building in one hour. You may bring one other person with you. I'll be waiting on the bench._

It was unsigned. McGee tried to pin down where it came from, but it had been bounced through so many proxy servers that it was impossible. They were going to have to wait. Abby decided Ellie would be a good choice, so an hour later, they went to the bench. There was a man with a carry bag waiting there. They approached the bench, and he nodded politely to them, but kept looking ahead. "Just sit down, don't look at me," he instructed. They did so, and looked ahead of them. Abby quietly said, "What do you want from us?" The man rubbed his neck nervously, and replied, "I know Phoenix, better than you think. She's not easy to track, and she'll know you're on her tail. You just found out about Carter, didn't you?" Abby couldn't help but look at the man. "Wait...who are you...and how did you know that?!" He sighed, and looked in her eyes, "I know lots of things. I'm a pretty good hacker, but you didn't hear that from me. I...used to be...her slave." He saw their incredulous expressions, and hastily explained, "It's true. I, um, ran away. It was a lucky chance. I had to take it, and she's been trying to track me down ever since. Here...I'll show you." He slipped the carry bag off his shoulder and unzipped a compartment. He looked around before holding an object to the light. The women saw a flash of silver, and understood it was his collar. He glanced around again, and shoved it back in. "I couldn't get rid of it. I carry it with me wherever I go. Okay, so, I can't tell you the exact area she's in, because even I don't know that. But I can tell you how to meet her halfway." He told them how to reach someone that worked directly for Phoenix and was in the same place she was. "See what happens. I don't need to tell you that you can't say where you got your information from." Both agents shook their heads. Abby smiled, "Of course not, you can trust us." He stood up and walked away, a pronounced limp in his step.

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"What?!" Gibbs gaped at her. She couldn't possibly be serious. He laughed bitterly, "You're crazy." Phoenix smirked at him. She held out the whip to him, "He gets thirty by your hand...or he gets sixty...by mine." Gibbs rolled his eyes, but refocused when she continued, "Silver Fox...I am not joking. Make the choice." He snapped, "Why don't you just give _me_ the sixty and have it done with?"

"Because," she purred, "that is not the lesson. Oh, I won't say that isn't tempting. Perhaps I will give you some after we deal with him...but for now, what is it going to be? Thirty? Or sixty?" Gibbs huffed, and turned at Dinozzo's voice. "Boss? Just do it. I'll be fine. Just get it over with, okay?" Gibbs sighed, then reluctantly took the whip from Phoenix's hand. She smiled and backed away. He stared hard at her. _What if I used this on her? Or I could kill her where she stood, right now._ Phoenix chuckled. "I know what you're thinking, my dear Fox. If you try to do **anything** to me, you will be **very sorry**. I wasn't born yesterday. I am also more than able to take a man in his full strength, never mind a slave, and one in shackles at that. Both of you would pay the price of your actions."

Gibbs tore his gaze away from her. She was likely right. This wouldn't be the right way of doing things. Staring at the whip in his hand, he tried not to let his despair show. He hadn't given up hope yet, except for this current situation. "Fine. I'll do it." Phoenix sat in her provided chair to watch the proceedings. Gibbs closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Finally, he opened his eyes and snapped the whip, trying to gage its reach. Tony turned his head and leaned it against the wall. _This is going to hurt like hell._ He heard Phoenix's voice once again, "Oh, and Fox...if I think you aren't hitting hard enough, that stroke will not count. So give it your best, boy." _Damn it...she's covered all her bases. This is **so** going to hurt._ He heard his boss squaring off behind him, and he shut his eyes tight in preparation.

Gibbs sighed, then remembered something Jared had told him one day. It had been the first time Jared had whipped him, and afterwards Gibbs had snapped how could he do that to another slave. Jared had responded, "For one thing I have no choice. For another, I can't think about _what_ I'm doing to you. I just think of the details of _how_ I'm doing things. I block everything from my mind, and concentrate on getting the stripes crossing in the right spots...things like that. Although, in the back of my head, I do know I'm causing you great pain. And I'm sorry for that, but in the long run, it's better if I do it than if she does. She hits a hell of a lot harder." Gibbs decided to take Jared's advice. He raised his whip arm, and blocked out everything but that white back in front of him. He sent forth the single lash. The white back jerked, and he saw one red stripe. _One._ Seeing he had not slanted the stripe enough, he threw back his arm to try again. _Two._

At the end of the thirty, the white back was no longer white, but drenched in blood, and Gibbs was dimly aware that he was done, and the man in front of him had been screaming. He suddenly came back to himself, and dropped the bloody whip. _Dinozzo...what have I done?_ He ran to the younger man and was about to release him when he heard, "Stop, boy." Gibbs pulled away from the gasping, sobbing man. He turned back to look at Phoenix. She came over to them and looked at Tony's back. She put a finger in one of the open welts, causing him to groan. She looked up at Gibbs and said, "Good job. We'll take it from here." Victoria reached out to take Gibb's leash. He permitted her to take him away. Just as he went out the door he heard a THUD, and turned to see Dinozzo crumpled on the floor.

Tony had never before known such pain. He knew that both Jared and Gibbs could take a whipping without yelling, but he couldn't help it. He hated himself for displaying such emotion to her. He hoped that Gibbs wouldn't hold it against him. He heard a purring voice in his ear, "Get up, boy." _Seriously? You couldn't wait a minute?_ Tony continued to lie there in defiance. She put his hand on his bleeding shoulder, making him suck in a breath. She clamped down on him, and hissed, "Don't make me repeat it, boy." Dinozzo gave up the internal struggle and staggered to his feet. He glared at her as he swayed there. She clipped his leash on him, and signaled him to come with her. He was weak, and stumbled. Unfortunately, his shackles got in the way, and he crashed hard on the floor again. Phoenix thought he was still being defiant, and kicked him. He hissed in pain, and glowered at her. He started to open his mouth but clamped it shut again. She grabbed his collar and pulled him to his knees. "You got something to say, boy?" He was **so** going to get in trouble but he had to say it. "Yeah...screw….you…"

Phoenix leaned in and for one crazy second he thought she was going to kiss him. But she brushed her lips on his ear, and gently bit it. "No...you won't….but I will."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tonyyyyyy! You're always putting your foot in it, aren't you? This is not helping the situation at all.


	8. Chapter 8

_He knelt there, tied to the wall. He had been impertinent to Her once again. He had failed to show obeisance to Her quickly enough, and She was furious. So now here he knelt, until he was freed again. He thought once more of the life he used to have, even before he came to Her. His parent, his friends, the university, the sun, the trees...the stars. Great Orion with his gleaming belt, the Pleiades twinkling dimly, the Dragon wrapping his tail around the Northern Star… and the black sky in between. So many stars...so many wishes...he was brought out of his thoughts when the door banged open. His hopes of being released were dashed when Victoria walked in and tossed a slave on the floor. This man looked familiar, with the silver hair and the silver collar. It could only be… "Silver Fox?"_

Gibbs was pulled away quickly, and he obediently followed Victoria. She led him to an unfamiliar hallway and up some stairs. He'd never been on the second floor and was surprised to find himself there now. Victoria unlocked a door and thrust him into the room. She kicked his legs out from under him, and expertly snapped on wrist chains, tugging his hands behind his back. Then she left him there in the small dimly lit room. He listened to the latch locking again, and looked around.

"Silver Fox?" a voice sounded through the dim. He looked up to see Jared. Gibbs answered, "Yup. How's it going?" Jared laughed bitterly, "Just peachy." His voice sounded rough, the result of too much pain and screaming over the years...particularly the last one. "You? How'd you get here?"

Gibbs picked himself off the floor and shuffled to sit next to Jared, who was kneeling on the floor, his hands chained to the wall behind him, legs spread, and his collar had a rope attached to the same clip. Gibbs knew this position well, unfortunately. Jared would be forced to stay on his knees with no way of getting up until he was released. If he moved, he'd get strangled. He answered Jared's question, "She blew out my tire and and next thing we knew, we were here." Jared turned his head carefully, "We?" Gibbs sighed, "Yeah, Tony is here too. I, uh, just whipped him." Jared shook his head, "Like I had to do with you? That sucks, man. The first time is always the hardest." Gibbs looked closely at the man. "So...what exactly happened with you?"

Jared swallowed hard, but figured it would be only right if Gibbs knew. "She, um, was pretty angry. Not only did I break you out...I also lied to her, I communicated to your team on the sly, and I...hit her...when you guys were escaping. So...I've been through the gamut of punishments." He wryly chucked, "You know what's the toughest? When she takes me to her bed. She used to do that only rarely, but now…" He saw Gibb's raised eyebrow. "You don't understand, do you? I'll explain it to you. She gives you a...serum... and it makes you... how do I explain it?... excited... but you never, ever... finish. Think Viagra with a twist." He rolled his eyes and continued, "What it basically means is any touch _down there_ , no matter how gentle, is excruciatingly painful. So you can only imagine how it feels when she makes love to you. I'd rather have fifty lashes than one night with her." He tried to shift position, but almost choked, and went still again. Gibbs sighed and put his head back on the wall. "Well, I'm sorry that she's done all these things to you. I just wish she hadn't dragged Tony into it too." Jared looked at him, and whispered, "Yeah...me too."

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Agents McGee and Bishop relayed their findings to Director Vance, who listened carefully to their every word. He thought for a moment, then wondered, "Should we go after Carter now, or wait until after you get in contact with this...mystery person? There seems to be pros and cons with that. If you leave it alone for now, she could pass along more people to Phoenix. If you go after her too soon, Phoenix could bring us down. What do you think?"

Tim looked at Ellie, who slowly said, "Yeah, that's the tough thing. I think we should contact this person first. We could try blackmail for this Carter woman, but we don't have any real leverage right now, except for the hair. But I think we need more proof." They hammered out more details, then went to the communication room.

Ellie was elected to do the talking because it seemed any male was in danger, so Vance and McGee watched from the sidelines and out of sight. She dialed the number given to her by the runaway slave, and prayed that somehow he was okay. The line picked up, and but no one spoke. Bishop forged ahead and gave the code that the man had given her:

_"Fire and flames  
The bird that no man tames"_

She heard a click and realized her call was being forwarded. Finally the line picked up again, and a voice said,

_"A bird with flaming fire  
Rises from the ash"_

Bishop knew she had to finish it so she did,

_"Strips away all man's desire  
With bite of every lash" _  

Bishop heard her call being forwarded yet again, then *ding* she had a Skype call. McGee from his computer quickly set up the link, and tried again to find where it was coming from. Unfortunately the signal was still untraceable. He nodded in encouragement to Bishop. The screen flickered on, and a Hispanic woman appeared on the screen. She looked startled to see Bishop standing there, but took the first step, "Good morning, what can I help you with today?" Bishop smiled at her and said, "We have reason to believe that you have two of our Agents. We would like them back, but we are prepared to negotiate terms." The woman pondered for a minute, then responded, "I must ask this before I answer you. How did you get this number and the correct passphrases?" Ellie locked eyes with her and answered, "Well, let's just say I have my sources, and I'm not about to reveal them." The other woman nodded, "I see...it wouldn't be this man, by any chance?" She held up a photo to the camera, and Bishop had a hard time keeping a straight face. It was the man that she and Abby had talked to. But no way, no how was she going to say that. The woman seemed to understand, "Yes, well. If it was him, we've been looking for some time for him. Anyway, as for your... request... I have no authority on that. My job is to match people with potential purchases."

Bishop politely asked, "Then could you direct me to someone who can help me with that?" The lady paused, then definitely nodded. She picked up a phone and pushed speed dial. "Can you come to Communications for a minute? Yeah, I have someone who wants to talk to you. Uh huh. It's Eleanor Bishop. That's right. Great, see you." She looked at Ellie, "Well, someone will talk to you in a few minutes, Agent Bishop." Ellie was still trying to wrap her mind around how this woman whom she had never met knew her name, but that was unimportant at the moment. Likely these people knew a lot about them.

Soon the sound of a door opening was heard. Bishop had to stare for a second when Phoenix appeared on-screen. She smiled, "Well, Agent Bishop, or should I call you Tammy? You're here to get the boys back are you? It may be harder than you think." Ellie pushed down her feelings of disgust for the woman and responded, "We need them... the world needs them." The grey eyes looked at Bishop, "And I will bring the world to its knees. But that is a story for another time. Start talking some sense before something... unfortunate... happens."

Bishop sighed, "What have you done to them? Are they still alive?" Phoenix chuckled, "Yes, they yet live. They are so much fun to play with. However, I believe I can reach a compromise. I know Director Vance is there with you. Let me talk to him." Vance looked at the screen, startled. She was no dummy. He stood up and moved into her view. "What is it that you want?" Phoenix cocked her head and studied the NCIS director. "It seems we could...join forces...in a way. I wish to come to you under a white flag and talk in private. Deal is I meet you in the Park under the tree where you found Randall. I get escorted to NCIS and to your office where we will have our chat. I feel threatened in the least way, and the deal is off and your people are in danger." Vance sighed, "Is there a chance to get our agents back?" She looked at him, "Perhaps." Vance nodded, "Fine. When and what time?" The two decided on a Friday, a few days later.

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Jared and Gibbs were on dinner duty, feeding the slaves. As they went down the last row, the guard told them, "There are a few people in the back cells. Don't forget to feed them." Jared and Gibbs nodded, and took their pot of slop to the indicated door. As it turned out, there were just three cells, two of which were occupied. The first one was a guy who looked like he was on death's door, but he did want his slops. Gibbs poured the next bowl and suddenly stared at the next cell occupant. He was sitting there with a bandaged back and a very blank look on his face. "Jared, get over here. It's Tony." Jared quickly brought the keys over and unlocked the cell. Gibbs went in and knelt next to Dinozzo. "Hey...are you okay?" Gibbs asked. There was no response. Gibbs touched his shoulder as Jared sat nearby. "Tony? Come on, it's Gibbs." Tony finally seemed to snap out of his stupor, and hazily focused on the silver haired man. "Hey Boss." He turned to see Jared looking concernedly at him. "Jared."

Jared nodded perfunctorily, "Tony. What happened, man?" Tony looked at the floor and didn't answer. Gibbs sighed, and said, "Hey, it's okay. Tony, I'm so sorry I had to do that to you. It was the last thing I ever wanted to do, whipping you. But if I hadn't...she would have made it worse." Tony looked up at him, "It's okay, Gibbs. She already did." He did a long exhale. "It was my big mouth. I said something I really shouldn't have. She, uh, had me bandaged up by that ex-ER guy we met the first night. Then...she...took me…" Tony closed his eyes and faltered. The men waited, knowing he needed to take his time. Tony tried again, "She took me...to her...bedroom." Gibbs flinched, and met eyes with Jared. He asked softly, "Did she...use the serum?" Tony looked him in the eyes, "Yes. She did. Then she went and...raped me." He looked down at the floor again, and whispered, "It **hurt** so much. I thought I was going to die." Gibbs felt anger flash through him. He remembered Jared's words, _I'd rather have fifty lashes than one night with her._ He couldn't help but swear. Jared put his hand on Gibbs' shoulder, and whispered, "Hush. The walls have ears. There's nothing we can do now." Gibbs was reluctant to get up, but knew what Jared was saying. They must get back to their duties, or someone would pay the price. He gently rubbed Dinozzo's bandaged shoulder, and quietly said, "I'll be back as soon as I can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hm, this is an interesting proposition. Think she got something up her sleeve? Will the boys be okay?


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is entirely on Vance's meeting with Phoenix.

The day had arrived when Vance would talk to Phoenix. He was understandably nervous, and went over everything the team had found so far. McGee was not sure about the whole thing though. "Director, are you sure that this is wise? I mean, after everything she's done...she's just going to sit there and have a chat? How do you know this isn't a trap?" Vance quietly responded, "I don't know it isn't a trap. This thing with Phoenix is much bigger than our team...bigger even that NCIS as a whole. Whether she frees Gibbs and Dinozzo or not, we'll have gained that much more information about how she works...and hopefully how to bring her down." Bishop chimed in, "It's okay...we trust you. But please be careful." Vance nodded curtly. He was taking a big risk doing this with someone who was so dangerous...and who was holding all the cards at the moment. But no one was perfect...it was about time she made a mistake. But would it be today?

Soon enough, Vance reached the crime scene. Phoenix was already there, waiting. Jared was at her side. He nodded politely to the NCIS director. Bishop had accompanied Vance at his request, and Phoenix acknowledged the blonde woman. She started the conversation, "As a show of good faith, you may search me to make sure I am unarmed...if we may do the same to you." Vance nodded, "Go ahead." She glanced at Jared and nodded. The slave walked forward and searched Vance, including back pockets and ankles. After searching both Vance and Bishop thoroughly, he stepped back and nodded at Phoenix. Bishop now took her turn doing the same to Phoenix. Having found nothing, she stepped back with Vance. She knew there was no need to check Jared, as slaves were never allowed any kind of weapon. Vance motioned to the car, "Alright, if that's over, let's go." He watched Jared fall in step behind Phoenix and mentally shook his head. It was not right what she was doing to him, but right now, his hands were tied. There was no going back now.

They rode to NCIS in silence. Once there, Vance tried to usher her to his office as quickly as possible. Phoenix was not fooled, and paused by Gibbs' section. She nodded in acknowledgement to McGee, who sat typing at his desk and warily looking at her. She looked at Dinozzo's empty chair, then at Gibbs'. She went over and rubbed her hand on his desk while everyone watched silently. Bishop bit her lip but went ahead and sat at her own desk. Finally Phoenix decided she had enough of the office space, and followed Vance up the stairs.

He offered her a chair, and she sat down. Vance frowned as Jared knelt at her side, but didn't comment. He understood from Gibbs' last time that slaves were expected to do this. He opened up the conversation, "I understand we might be able to come to some sort of agreement regarding my two agents? How can we possibly join forces, knowing what you have done?" Phoenix smiled, "Yes, well, it's quite simple, actually. I believe you do not understand how… widespread… we are. The slave market is growing year by year, and we have places around the world who buy our slaves. Now...I do have two of your boys, for now." Vance cocked his head at her "for now", and she understood his silent question. "If we do not come to an agreement today, I have found a buyer for Dinozzo. A wonderful woman in Russia. I have sent a few of mine there, and she would do much for a stubborn man like him. Gibbs now, I'd keep for myself. He and Jared do well together."

Vance clenched his hands underneath the desk, where she couldn't see it, and calmly asked, "Again, I'll ask it. What is it that you want?" Phoenix ran her hand through Jared's hair as she answered, "I did mean a literal joining of the forces. Gibbs...has so much potential. He has done a lot for NCIS. And still has so much more _life_ in him. I am thinking he should work for both of us."

He vehemently replied, "NCIS will never work with you." He just managed not to say "you scum" but it seemed she knew he had held back. She smiled at him, then pulled out a laptop out of her bag and handed it to Jared. He opened it on the floor, and clicked around a few times before handing it back to her. She leaned forward, placing it on the desk in front of the director. Vance looked at the screen, and struggled to maintain a straight face. It showed a live feed to a cement room, where Gibbs was chained to the wall. He faced away from the camera, and fresh stripes were visible. A woman appeared on the screen, whip in hand. She raised her arm and cracked the whip, and another stripe appeared. Gibbs jerked, but did not struggle. Vance raised his eyes to her grey ones. "What is the meaning of this?!" She responded, "My ladies have orders. The more you resist, the more flogging he gets." Vance rubbed the bridge of his nose and watched as Gibbs received another lash. "Okay, just stop it. You don't need to do that to him." Phoenix glanced at the figure on screen, then replied, "Then we will talk. Gibbs is more than useful as your agent. But he is now my slave. I feel it would be… mutually beneficial… to both of us. I will let him return, but he is still mine." Vance shook his head, "I don't think I can do that." He heard a crack from the computer, and frowned. "This isn't fair to him. Please stop it." He sighed, "I can't...give you carte blanche to do what you like with him. He has to go free if he is to return. I know something of your network. It is vast and wide, and we must stop the growing corruption. If I do this…" Vance heard another crack, "Then I am agreeing with what you do." He looked at the screen again in time to see Gibbs receive yet another lash. "And stop beating him, damn it!"

Grey eyes met his, "You are willing to give up Gibbs? And Dinozzo? For… your principles? And I do know a few things about you. You lost your wife, did you not? And you have two lovely children at home. One of them….a boy." Vance was livid. She had no right to speak of his family, especially in that threatening tone. She continued, ignoring his warning signals, "It'd be a shame for that boy to end up somewhere, serving a cruel master…" Vance stood up, furious. He heard another crack, but ignored it, "You are **not** touching my child. I'd give everything up for him." Phoenix looked up at him in surprise, "You'd give up being a big shot NCIS Director, the whole Navy, everyone you've cared about, for one boy? To be my slave?" Vance inwardly shuddered, but bravely replied, "If need be." He locked eyes with her. She chuckled, and glanced down at Jared, who had gone pale. "Do you see _this_ boy? He had two chances at freedom. He took neither. What does that tell you?" Vance sat down, and asked, "Two? I know he had one when he freed Gibbs that first time."

Phoenix looked at Jared, and said, "Tell him, boy." Jared gazed at the director and began, "Yes, sir, it was two chances. The second one was a little while back. She'd captured a man named Randall. Randall was with her, trying to negotiate with her. He failed, then came during the night to try and free me. He unchained me, had the door open, and I wouldn't come with him. My place is where She puts me, and I belong to no one else." His voice dropped to a whisper, "I wouldn't go with him… even if he was my brother." Vance frowned and asked, "Did she tell you what happened to him?" Jared stared at the floor, "I know she marked him with her bird, for I was there. What else, I do not know." Vance looked at Phoenix to make sure she was fine with him telling Jared, and softly replied, "She took him to the Park, and whipped him severely. Then he was shot to death." Jared swallowed hard, and looked at Phoenix. She responded to his unasked question, "I made him suffer for what he tried to do. I would have let him go after that, but some men, especially those in pain, become quite _talkative_. He told me all about how he found me, about NCIS and Gibbs, and a few other things I shall not tell you of. He knew far too much. I would have whipped him to death, like I did with Kade…" Here Vance flinched. That poor kind man… "But he had made too much noise already. He would have brought someone down on us. So it was easier to destroy him with one bullet."

Vance looked away so he could gather his thoughts. He saw Gibbs on the screen, still getting whipped. It was obvious he could do nothing to help his agent at this point. She continued, "Anyways, you have many fine men here at NCIS. They are a little hard to train, but once they break, they do make the best slaves…and the highest prices. McGee, now, there's a good one. Or perhaps Palmer…though he is a bit too nervous for my liking. But others like that, though. Dr. Mallard is rather old for the average slave, but even he would have someone interested in him. The point being…" Vance finished her sentence, "You'd keep taking people away until I gave in to you." Jared softly whispered, "Or she'd go after you and your agents' families. Children, spouses, friends…" Phoenix cuffed him on the head and he fell silent. But Vance knew Jared was absolutely right. There'd be no end to it if they couldn't catch her otherwise. It was blackmail in the worst sense. Another faint crack reached his ears, jolting him to reply, "I guess we can work something out. But what did you have in mind?" She answered, "The best thing for me would be that they won't be free. They must wear my collar and be at my beck and call, even as they will live their lives here. But it isn't practical. So, here is my counter proposal. What if they continue their lives here, and are free for the most part, but I shall have them for some of the time. So what I am saying is they continue as Agents, uncollared, but they must give any information to me that I ask them for, and I will retain them for a few weeks of the year. Information is power as you know. I wouldn't be going into your top secret stuff most likely, but cases and relevant information that I need."

The director breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't the best result…that would have been if she had given them back free and clear. However, this seemed to be a good compromise. He also understood exactly what she was asking. She wanted a way into NCIS, and therefore would have more of a hold on the men of the world. Her empire would stretch and expand as she gained more knowledge. It was frightening to think of. But the opposite side of the coin was just as terrible...the horror she could and would inflict on even more innocent people than her intended targets. His own child...yes, even Vance gave himself up, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't go after his son. He had seen that much in her eyes and Jared's expression. He made himself nod, "Of course, we'll have to ask them if this agreement is fine with them." She smiled, "Of course. I shall bring them both tomorrow. And as a show of good faith, Jared will remain here. He is to be considered property of NCIS." Jared whipped his head up in disbelief. She was freeing him? After so many years? Impossible...there must be a catch somewhere. But no, she had turned to him and bid him to be behave for NCIS. He really was staying here. There was another crack from the screen and Vance saw the bloodied Gibbs jerk again. "Oops, forgot about that." Phoenix tapped a few keys, and they saw Gibbs being released. He collapsed on the floor, and the camera feed was turned off.

She stood up, and added, "Same arrangement for tomorrow. I will not be molested in the least way, and you'll have your precious agents in one piece." She chuckled, "Well, except for the pieces I have already stripped off their own backs." Vance forced down the need to strangle her, and escorted her to the door. Jared remained on his knees, awaiting his next command. After closing the door, Vance turned around to look at the slave. He sighed, "Jared, come on. Get up. You know that you're a free man?" Jared slowly stood, and replied, "Director Vance...I don't know what to say." Vance smiled, "Well how about we get that collar off and I'll hand you over to Abby for now?"

Jared stared at the floor, "Thank you, Director, I should be glad to meet Abby as I have heard so much about her. But as for the collar...I wish it to remain, for now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....is it too good to be true? Did Vance just make a deal with the devil?


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some more "bad things happen to the boys"! They're supposed to come back to NCIS like she promised...but hey are they actually going to get there ALIVE?

Abby looked up as Director Vance walked into the lab with a handsome blonde man behind him. Instantly she knew who it was. She bounced up in happiness and started to dash to the young man. He recoiled back from her advances, and Abby stopped guiltily. Of course he'd be afraid of her… he had every right be afraid from everything that woman had done over the last nine years. Vance explained the situation, and told her that she'd be responsible for him for the time being. "Of course! That is definitely _not_ a problem!" He left while Abby excitedly danced around. Just to think Gibbs and Tony would be here! Tomorrow! Jared eyed her warily as she moved about her lab, and Abby suddenly realized she was making him nervous. "Oh! I'm so sorry!" She settled down and offered him a chair. He glanced at it and shook his head, "No thanks." Abby tried again, "Okay, are you hungry? I can get you something to eat! What would you like?"

Jared tried to remember the last time he ate something other than slops. It was very nutritious even if it wasn't appetizing. But that was the whole point of it. "Um...I don't know…" Abby cocked her head at him, then asked, "What was the last time you ate? And what did you have?" Jared could answer this one at least, "This morning. We're fed twice a day. And we always have slops." Seeing her puzzled expression, he explained, "It's sort of a cross between stew and sauce. It is nutritionally complete. Not exactly nice tasting, but better than nothing." Abby thought for a moment, "Then you have to have a burger and fries! Here, I'll get some for you..it is SO good! And you can stay with me tonight. We'll have some fun together!" She watched his face pale and realized what she had said. "Oh no no no...I didn't mean it THAT way! I only meant that I'm glad you are here and you are free from that horrible monster. Okay?"

Jared looked at her, also trying to remember the last time a woman had been kind to him. This was going to take some getting used to. He felt for the silver collar that he had worn for so long. He definitely wasn't ready to take it off. He'd do that when he was good and ready. He only hoped that Gibbs was okay after the brutal whipping. He'd be in good hands with Tony though...as long as Tony didn't do anything stupid.

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Phoenix checked in on the bandaged silver haired man lying on his stomach in his cell. She asked the guard, "How many did he end up getting? He got a few more than I intended I think." The guard looked it up on the chart and replied, "Ah I have it here. Seems he got 42 all told." Phoenix shrugged. Whatever. She looked at Dinozzo, who was glaring at her. "What are you looking at, boy?" Tony held eyes for one more second, then turned his head away. He heard the door being unlocked and backed away when she came closer, but watched carefully as she bent over his boss. There was no way she was hurting him again. She'd have to go through him first. He had been made to watch the whole thing earlier, gagged and bound. He clenched his fists as Phoenix softly touched Gibb's head. "You look lovely there… beaten." Gibbs decided he didn't like this position, totally helpless under her touch. He struggled to rise, and could not prevent a groan from escaping. He made it as far as being on his knees when he had to stop for the pain. Tony jumped to his side, saying, "Hey, take it easy."

Phoenix glared at Tony, "Back off. Sit over there." She pointed to the corner of the cell. Tony paused, then decided it would be better to obey her than to stir up more trouble. He sat and watched closely. She turned back to the kneeling Gibbs. She tried the exercise she had once done and trailed her hand from his lips down to the waistband of his shorts. Gibbs, for once, didn't glare or even move. He was too tired. Too painful. He had to give in. Just as her hand disappeared underneath, Tony jumped up. "Don't you **dare**!" he shouted. Everyone turned in surprise, and Gibbs growled, "Tony…" Dinozzo shook his head at Gibbs and turned on Phoenix. "What do you think you're doing?! You are **not** hurting him anymore. No way." Phoenix stood up and grabbed Tony by the collar, "Really? **Really?** You forget I can do what I wish with _both_ of you. Now unless you want to take his place, you can sit there." Tony set his jaw, "I'll do it. Whatever you want...I'll do it." She looked at Gibbs, and stroked his cheek, "Even if I was going to take him to my bed?" Tony blanched, but was determined. Gibbs snapped at Tony, "Dinozzo, don't be stupid. Let it alone!"

"Boss…no. She can do what she wants, but _not that_." He reeled from a stunning blow Phoenix had given him. "Listen up, boy. I call the shots here. Now, if you _really_ want to do this, I will have you tonight... _all night_." She wheeled around and punched Gibbs just as he was about to open his mouth to protest. Tony gritted his teeth. He already had phantom pain between his legs as he remembered what she had done the last time. _No...his boss should never feel that terrible pain that was worse than everything else they had suffered._ "I'll do it. Just leave him alone."

She looked at him, then nodded. The guard came up and snapped a leash on him, and said to Phoenix. "I'll have him set up in your bedroom for when you are ready." The grey eyed woman nodded, and looked down at Gibbs once again. "You have inspired such...loyalty...from your teammates. I'll greatly enjoy him tonight." She laughed, "See if he's able to walk tomorrow. Then...I have a couple of surprises for both of you." She caressed his cheek once more, then left to wreak havoc on the younger agent.

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He lay there, totally exhausted. Morning had finally come. She had finished having her way with him, and he felt totally sick. Dirty. Exposed. Which he still was, he dimly noted. He felt so intensely sore down there, and he knew he'd have bruises where he should never have any. But at least Gibbs was safe from this, for now. He turned his head and watched her shut her bathroom door, and soon heard the shower running. He sat up, looking for his shorts, but the pain caught up with him. It was worse than the last time, probably because she was at him all night. _Just like she promised...Can't say the woman doesn't keep her promises._ He couldn't think of what it would feel like to walk about, but he had Gibbs to think about. Gibbs, who was in all likeness alone in his cell, with his own personal pain, and not one hint of a Tylenol around.

He had to get out of bed. He dragged himself out, but fell to his knees. He tried again, but collapsed again on the floor. He decided just to lie there and get himself together. He had hoped to show her that he wasn't broken, but it was just a little hard when his body was.

Soon enough, she came out of the bathroom, all fresh and clean. _Yeah right, as if a shower can wash away that black heart of yours_ , he thought. She grabbed him by the collar, "Up, boy." Using her as leverage, he managed to gain his feet. "I've got two surprises in store for you. Come on, boy." He staggered after her, waddling as best he could. At least she hadn't put the shackles back on, but then again he was in no shape to be trying anything stupid. _Wait a second...I never did get those shorts back_...but it was too late as she practically dragged him into a room. That ex-ER doc was there, preparing an examination table. He turned around at the sound of them, and sighed, "I don't need to ask what you did to him, but I think you've overdone it." Phoenix merely replied, "Get him on the table. The other one should be here soon." The man obediently went to Tony, and guided him to the table. Tony barely made it on, and finally settled on his back. He started to panic a bit when he felt the straps go on his ankles and hands. The doc gently rubbed his shoulder as a means to say, "It's okay." Tony calmed slightly, but he knew it would not be okay. He turned his head at the sound of the door opening. There was Gibbs, leash being held by the guard he knew as Holly. Holly chained Gibbs to the wall in full view of Tony, and double checked his shackles. She then waited, knowing she might be needed for what was going to happen.

Gibbs looked at the naked young agent bound to the table. He looked like hell, but at least he was alive. He made himself look only at Dinozzo's face, to save him any extra embarrassment. The doc had gotten a bucket of soap and water, and washed Tony all over. He tried to be extra gentle in the sore areas, but it was a pointless endeavour...the slave yelled anyway. Clean, dried, and chest shaved, the doc nodded at Phoenix. She jerked her head towards the cupboard and the slave hesitated. He didn't want to do this. A glare from her almost melted him into the floor, and he made himself walk to the indicated cupboard. He pulled out a tray, and placed a very sharp knife on it with a sigh, then also added plenty of gauze. He returned to Tony's bedside, holding the tray.

Gibbs couldn't keep silence anymore, "Hey, wait. What are you going to do to him?! Haven't you done enough?" Phoenix ignored him completely, except to nod at Holly. The guard immediately reached in her pocket and produced a gag. Gibbs struggled against Holly, but he was still far too sore to put up a fight. In a trice, he was gagged and helpless to do anything but watch whatever horror she was now going to do to Tony.

Tony had the same thought, and tried to struggle in his bonds. The doc again put his hand on Tony's shoulder and whispered, "Hush. It'll be over soon." He looked up in trepidation as Phoenix picked up the knife. How many times had he witnessed this? He glanced at the other slave, whose bandages he himself had put on. _All I do is just patch 'em up for them to use and abuse again._ He tried to help the young slave once again, "Um? Maybe I should put a gag on him?" _It'd be easier on him, and the other man, not to mention me._ But his hopes were dashed when Phoenix shook her head no.

She picked up the knife, and tested the blade. Tony rolled his eyes in fear, and focused on that shining object. She held it above his chest and considered where to make the first cut. The doc quietly slipped his hand into one of Tony's. Gibbs tried to struggle one more time, then gave up the useless fight.

The blade cut. Tony gasped. Again the blade touched him and she directed every stroke. He started to scream. The doc grimaced with his own pain of his hand being squeezed to death, but he knew that he had to be there for this young man. She never took long with this, anyway. Soon Tony's chest ran with blood, and the doc sopped it up as best he could without getting in her way. Finally she seemed satisfied. She gently laid the blade back on the tray. Dinozzo lay there, wondering how he was supposed to survive this now. The pain in his nether regions was dulled slightly by the fresh pain in his chest. He looked down to see what she'd done to him. Gibbs also studied the bloody chest, and made himself keep from throwing up into the gag. Phoenix had laid her mark on him...the sign of the flaming bird.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oooh, nasty! She's got a plan alright...but what? How much more can the boys suffer without drowning? Thanks for all the reviews, bookmarks, etc! I really do appreciate them :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I had wanted this chapter to be last one, but the story wanted to continue lol. Are the boys okay?

Phoenix studied her handiwork, and commanded the doc, "Take him off and bandage him well." Glancing down at Tony, she smirked, "Ah...yes..you might give him shorts too." Finished with him, she started to leave. Seeing Gibbs still standing there, she added, "Holly, you can take him down and ungag him. He can stay here until we're ready." Holly had Gibbs down quickly, and left as well.

Gibbs groaned as he struggled up to the table. The other slave already had Tony's arms and legs free. He handed Gibbs gauze and said, "I'll just grab some shorts for him...there's always spares in the cupboard." He hurried over and found a pair. "I hate it when she does that. I'm sorry, man," he softly said as he tugged them on Dinozzo. The injured man just lay there with his eyes closed, worrying Gibbs as he cleaned him up. The doc saw the look of concern and shook his head, "If I know her, he'll not have gotten any rest last night. He really should have some fluids, but that will have to wait until they put you guys back in your cells. Here, help me sit him up so I can bandage him."

The two carefully eased Dinozzo up into a sitting position. The doc grabbed some bandages and started the process. Gibbs asked him, "So...who are you and how long have you been here?" The black haired man glanced up from his work for a second and answered, "I'm Ian. I've been here long enough. I think it's been about four years for me. They only got me because I was an ER doctor and I'm trained to deal with all sorts of situations. Well, yeah sure I can, but it's just patchwork here." He sighed and continued, "I mean the slaves come to me like you did, beaten or whipped, and I'm expected to just...patch you up, knowing you could be whipped again in a few days. And we're not allowed any kind of painkillers for anything at all. And on top of that, I gotta be careful of myself. There's been lots of times I've been whipped myself, and still got to go and put together the slaves for them the same day. I get no breaks at all. It's a hard life." He stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and finished Tony up.

That done, he got Tony to sit on the floor and lean against the wall. It'd be easier to get him up later instead of leaving him on the table, and besides he had been ordered to take him off anyway. He dropped in exhaustion next to Dinozzo, while Gibbs made himself walk around. "Come on, man, you should rest too," Ian said. Gibbs shook his head. He wasn't going to stay down long, no matter how he felt. He paused to ask Ian, "How many slaves?" The doc shook his head, "Damned if I know. They come and go all the time. They're shipped out all over, and we get more in all the time. Like a bloody revolving door."

It seemed about a half hour later when the door finally opened. Victoria and Holly walked in. Holly kicked the doc in the side before saying, "You're wanted in Section C. Some idiot dislocated his shoulder trying to get out of the chains." Ian sighed, and hurried out the open door. The ladies clipped leashes on the agents' collars, and led them away. Gibbs supported Tony as they walked, even as his own back was screaming at him. Eventually they found themselves in a large fancy office. Phoenix sat there, writing up a document. She looked up when they staggered in. "Just in time, boys, I was finishing this up." She shut her laptop and cocked her head at them. "Ready for the second surprise?"

Gibbs growled, "I hate surprises. Yours have been no fun, so far." She smiled at him, "Well, you'll like this one. You're both going back to NCIS today." Both men stared at her in stunned silence. Finally Dinozzo queried, "Is this some sick joke of yours?" Phoenix stood up and replied, "Oh no joke. You really are going back. As long as you agree." Gibbs spat, " _On what?!_ " She laughed, "Oh, well, Vance and I came up with an agreement to be nice to each other. All you have to do is listen to us, and if you consent, then you're back." The agents looked at each other, each thinking the same thing. There had to be more to it than that. Gibbs shook his head at her, "Director Vance would never cooperate with you." She looked at him, and smirked, "Well, he already has. Just you wait."

She nodded to the slave at her side, and he got up from his kneeling position to open a drawer. He brought out clothes: shirts, pants, briefs, and socks. He checked the label sizes and squinted at the shocked men before deciding he had the right sizes. He gave each man their clothes and went back to kneel beside Phoenix. She shrugged, "No shoes, sorry. But those should do for now until you get back. If it doesn't work out, it won't matter much now will it?" She chuckled at the bewildered expressions on their faces. "Now go and get changed. We'll leave in an hour." As they were dragged away, Tony managed a question, "Wait...where's Jared?" She looked up from her papers in surprise, but answered, "He's already at NCIS."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Director Vance gathered together McGee, Bishop, Abby, Ducky, and Palmer together in the conference room. He looked at each person in turn before he spoke. "Okay everyone, I think you know why you're here. You know that I've made an agreement of sorts with Phoenix to get our agents back. But it covers a lot more than that, and I think she will clarify it." Ducky shook his head and said, "I realize, of course, that we are willing to do anything to get our agents back, especially after what happened last time. However, I do believe you have made a Faustian bargain." McGee quizzically asked, "A Faustian bargain?" The doctor replied, "A deal with the devil, so to speak. Apologies, Director. I did not mean to interrupt."

Vance nodded, "It's fine. I have the same feeling myself. In short, what she wants is for Gibbs and Dinozzo to continue working for us, but also to be able to pass information from them to her. If we disagree, we are not only endangering their lives, but also for a lot of NCIS agents and their families here. It's also up to them to decide whether they want to do this. If they disagree, then…," He shrugged, and continued, "And that brings me to another point. Our agents are likely going to be worse off than Gibbs was the first time. So you'll have to be prepared for when you see them. I...saw...Gibbs being...whipped. That was yesterday. He'll not be recovered yet I should think. And we have no idea what happened to Dinozzo. Just a forewarning."

The team had nothing to say to this. Abby finally asked, "Are you saying that Gibbs might decide not to agree, and go back with her?" Vance looked at her and replied, "I cannot answer for him. But it would be best for them if they did go along with the plan, wouldn't it? By the way, how's it going with Jared?"

Abby sighed, "He's very emotionally traumatized. I've taken him to see Ducky and he's comfortable with him. He's quite nervous with me, which is totally understandable. He barely eats anything and anytime I move too quickly he jumps away or looks like he's expecting a hit. It's going to take a good bit of time and lots of TLC for him. I don't mind at all, really. I gotta be strong for him and show him there are good people in his life now."

They all discussed the case a bit longer, and then got up and went back to work in their respective areas. Every person was filled with happiness that they'd see their beloved agents again, but all were also wary of what Phoenix had planned.

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Gibbs and Dinozzo were taken to a room very similar to the one Gibbs had been whipped in yesterday. They were immediately nervous...was this a trick? Would one of them be tortured again? After what happened this morning and yesterday, nevermind _last night_ , they had reason to be concerned. The women undid their shackles and ordered them to strip and change. The stripping part was easy… it was only the one pair of shorts to come off. Gibbs needed help with his shirt as he was too painful to raise his arms up. Tony remembered how the hated whip had snaked around Gibbs' side and caught him a few times on the belly. He helped his boss with his shirt, noting that the whip also wrapped around one of Gibb's arms once as well, as he had lacerations on that. It was still visible with the t-shirt, but that could not be helped. Once dressed Gibbs turned around to help Tony. Dinozzo had a little trouble with the very snug briefs as he was still throbbing from early this morning. The shirt was easier as it was just the front of the chest that was aching.

The women were satisfied and stated they would send a slave in to shave them, as the last time was two days ago. They left and the door locked. Soon enough though, an older man walked in with a shaving kit. He set things down after hearing the door lock once again. "Who wants to go first?" he asked, pulling up a stool for the purpose. Tony waved Gibbs over. Gibbs carefully sat on the stool and was foamed up in a trice. Tony questioned the man, "So you are?" He turned blue eyes on the young agent and answered, "Ah, I'm Adrian Trent, slave of Victoria." He busied himself with shaving Gibbs. He looked up and realized that Tony had hoped for more info. "You want to know more about me?" He shrugged. "What difference does it make? I've been here for quite a few years now. I used to fight in the ring for Phoenix, then later she sold me to Victoria and I fought for her too. Now that the fight ring has been done away with, I usually help prepare the sold slaves for shipping." He paused, not wanting that one tear from his eye to fall. "I miss my wife and kid though. They didn't deserve this." Tony sighed. It seemed every slave had a terrible history attached to them. "What happened?"

Adrian finished up Gibbs, and helped him up. Dinozzo sat carefully down for his turn. He finally answered him, "I, um, was in a bar after work. She was there too, but I didn't know who she was at the time. There was a guy flirting with her, and she was having none of it. He was being nice enough, though. Not being pushy, like some guys are, yeah? Anyway, I was watching when she punched him good. Keeled him right over. I went over to her and went hey you didn't need to do that. She says 'What's it to you?' and I replied that she needn't be rude. She got pissed at me and shoved me away, and I, um, grabbed her...basically shouted in her face that she needed to back off and get a new attitude. I realize now the terrible mistake I made. A few days later she came to my house in the evening. She had some of her girls with her and they beat me up pretty good. My wife tried to step in but she couldn't break through. My boy was there. It was bad. My wife tried to phone the police but they came prepared. They'd cut the phone line and shut down our cell phones. Eventually they chained me up and took me away. I just wish that Connor never had to see that."

His tale spun out, and Dinozzo freshly shaved, he stood and cleaned up. "Good luck to both of you. I hear that you're going back. That's good. The last slave I prepped was headed out to Germany somewhere. Next one I'm doing is going to India. You guys sure are lucky."

Soon the ladies were back for the agents. They were quickly drugged up and blindfolded. Phoenix had them shackled, just in case but decided the wrist chains were off for good. She had them bundled into the shipping cages for transport. It was probably a kindness to Tony that he was drugged up as he started to panic that he was shipped off to somewhere across the pond for all he knew. He had heard rumours...but he soon drifted off.

Phoenix double checked that all was set for their transportation. Victoria stepped up and shook hands with her. "Good luck at NCIS! If this works, this will be a big step for you. We're all rooting for you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! They ARE going back to NCIS! Everyone will be happy now, right? Well, we'll see.


	12. Chapter 12

Phoenix arrived at NCIS in a black van, the agents riding the back in shipping cages. She had negotiated with Vance to come to the back door, so to speak, of NCIS so as to alert as few people as possible to her arrival. It would also make things much more private for when Gibbs and Dinozzo got out of the cages. She drove the van inside the evidence garage, a perfect location.

Vance stood with Bishop and McGee at his side. Abby hung back, wringing her hands in excitement and nervousness. Dr. Mallard calmly waited off to the side. Palmer had been a nervous wreck and Ducky had sent him off to tidy up the morgue and watch Jared. Nothing should happen to trip off Phoenix, so it had been the best plan.

Phoenix emerged from the vehicle, and glanced at the waiting team. Vance stepped forward to shake hands with her. "I hope you had safe travels," he politely said. She looked down at his outstretched hand, then finally grasped it, "Yes, quite uneventful." She looked back at the trunk. "They should be awake by now. I didn't drug them too much." She turned at Bishop's gasp, "Oh come on. We always do it that way. It makes things go much more smoothly, plus the slave having no idea of where they left from or where and when they arrived at their destination." Vance thought, _So...all bases covered. No point in asking them if they have any idea where they were. Even if they were in the same country._

She thoughtfully gazed at him, understanding the emotions roiling through him. She stepped to the back of the van, saying, "Well, I'm sure you've been waiting long enough for this." She unlocked the trunk, and the team were able to see two large containers that looked like they were were for large animals. Except for the fact they knew that these were no animals, but their own beloved agents were trapped inside. Each person had their own vision of being shipped off to a foreign country in this small container.

Phoenix reached in her pocket for a key, and unlocked one. "Out, boy," she commanded. After a few seconds, socked and shackled feet came out as the person inside uncoiled himself. A few grunts later, Dinozzo emerged. He staggered on his feet for a few seconds before realizing where he was. He grinned his impish smile when he saw the team gathered around. She reached for the other lock and opened the cage. "Out, boy."

Everyone held their breaths as Gibbs stretched his shackled legs out. He groaned and seemed to be stuck. Tony glanced at her, and hurried to Gibbs to help him out. He managed to get him standing, and Gibbs smiled too when he saw his people. Vance pointed, "There's an office we can use just over there." He looked down at their shackles, "We don't really need those, do we?" She looked at them too, but shook her head. "You know they aren't free yet...so they stay for now. However, if people want to say hello before our meeting, by all means."

Abby rocketed forward and hugged Gibbs fiercely. "Ah, Abby...watch the back!" Gibbs gasped. She instantly released him from her hug, "Oh my gosh, I am SO sorry, Gibbs! I'm just incredibly happy to see you both here again!" She squeezed his arm, and stopped when he winced. She had done the wrong arm...this one had spiral lacerations that looked as if it was done yesterday. _Oh. It **was** done yesterday. I'm so stupid to keep touching him..._ She looked up at Gibbs, and calmed when he said, "It's okay Abs. I'm fine, alright?" She turned to Dinozzo and asked, "Is it okay if I hug you?" He laughed and replied, "Sure, as long as you watch the chest!" Abby gave him a featherlight hug. The others of the team followed suit, murmuring words of support and happiness. Finally Phoenix had enough. "Okay then. Let's have our meeting. Boys?" Gibbs and Dinozzo instantly pulled away from their team and followed her and Vance into the office space. Bishop was also permitted to enter, but the rest had to wait outside.

Vance allowed Phoenix to sit first, and pulled up his chair to the desk. Bishop sat nearby, while the men continued to stand. Phoenix glared at them and they reluctantly knelt, each wincing as they went. Knowing this was standard fare, Bishop bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything. Vance ignored them, and nodded at Phoenix to begin.

"Thank you Director Vance for meeting up with me in regards to Agents Gibbs and Dinozzo. As you see, they're in one piece...more or less…" She smirked at them, then continued, "I have drawn up some papers here for you." Vance opened the duotang and read from the document. He read pertinent parts aloud for the agents' benefits, skimmed the rest to make sure it was what they agreed, and finished off by saying, "So to summarize, NCIS has shared control of them if they agree to do so. You will have them for several weeks of the year while they work for us for the rest. They share information with you that you demand. You are free to come and go while you are here in this building and on the property thereof. We are unable to arrest you if you have business elsewhere that still relates to them or Jared. Am I missing anything?"

She smiled, "That about covers it….however… you did say you were willing to turn yourself over to me, is that still on the table?" Gibbs snapped, "Leon, don't do that." Vance looked over at him before slowly responding, "That idea was thrown around during negotiations yesterday. I do not see how it is still applicable. A last ditch plan, basically." Phoenix feigned disappointment, but wasn't surprised. It would be idiotic for someone of his rank to just pack it all in, for what? She'd still have access to his agents, and his boy no less. "Well, it was a pleasant thought while it lasted. No, I shall not touch you or your boy." The men's heads snapped up at this new piece of information. She continued to ignore them, "If, however, in the future you'd like a…closer… relationship with me, we can reevaluate this." Now she turned to Bishop, "Anything to add?" Bishop shook her head.

Finally Phoenix looked at Gibbs and Dinozzo. "Questions?" Gibbs asked, "How long do you have us each year?" She smiled. A good question. "Well, I was thinking I'd have you for three weeks...we'll spread it out a week at a time throughout the year. And Tony, I think he can only do two the way I handle him." She stood to reach out to Tony and gently cupped his chin her hand. He tried to jerk away from her and refused to meet her eyes. She firmly gripped him though, and ignored the shocked expressions from Vance and Bishop. Gibbs retorted, "Nope. He's gone through enough. Add his to mine." Tony had his eyes closed, "Gibbs...no. It's okay. I can do it." Gibbs insisted, "I won't agree to this if you do it this way."

Vance was tired of being in the dark, "Alright guys. What's going on?" Phoenix glanced at him then nodded to Tony. He sighed. He really didn't want people to know this but it seemed he was being given no choice. "When I was away, she, um, did terrible things to me. But what she is referring to is that she…" He swallowed hard, knowing Vance wouldn't understand the gravity of the situation if he didn't finish the sentence. If only Bishop wasn't here...she did not need to hear this. He could hear Gibbs murmur "It's okay" in a low voice and found the courage to continue. "She raped me. Twice actually. And she wants to have me again so she can use me as much as she wants."

Vance paled considerably, and Bishop gripped her arm rests until her knuckles went white. How could she do such a thing to anyone, nevermind _Tony_? Gibbs curtly said, "That's why I said give his weeks to me. Then you have me longer. I'm the one you want anyway, right?" She brushed her fingers on his cheek, leaving Vance feeling very uncomfortable. "True, true. He is marked already anyway. That will be reminder enough. So five weeks through the year. So I can have you for one week in the winter, spring, and fall, and two weeks during the summer. Fair enough?" Gibbs breathed a long breath. He nodded, "Yes, I agree to this." She looked at Dinozzo, who answered, "I do as well, on one condition." She quirked a brow at him and he continued, "That you do not touch him like you do me. No serum, no rape." She gave him a long look. Silence reigned for a few minutes. Vance didn't even want to know what serum they were talking about. It couldn't be anything good. Finally she answered, "Okay." Everyone breathed a sigh. She looked at Gibbs and quietly finished, "Okay. Fine. But you know there other ways to make a man scream...but yes, I'll agree to that."

She returned to her chair, and nodded at Vance, "To reiterate, I have Gibbs for five weeks of the year, and as per our agreement, I shall not touch any of your NCIS agents or their families that work here in this building. Are we ready to sign?" Vance took a breath and took up a pen. He glanced over the pages once more and added the five weeks agreement to it in the appropriate spot. He signed his name with a flourish, and still felt like he had signed his soul away, but done was done. She also signed her name, and gestured to the men that they should rise and sign as well. Bishop put her name down as witness.

"That's it?" she asked, putting the pen down. Phoenix looked at her and replied, "That's it. Only two small details remain. First one is those shackles." She took a key out of her pocket and unlocked their ankles. "Next one is you, Director Vance." He looked at her in surprise. "Did you not read the fine print?" He hastily looked at the signed documents. Finally he found it at the end of one paragraph that he had merely skimmed. He had to seal the deal with her in the way she chose. He knew automatically how it would be, now that he knew what she did, and looked at her in dismay. Everyone easily read the expression on the director's face and understood with horror. She laughed, "Luckily I thought to bring some serum with me today. I'll come to your house tonight. You just may want to send your children on a sleepover."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That is quite the deal you made there, Vance. ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starting to wrap this story up and tie up all the loose ends. I'm sad that it's ending, but it's been quite a ride! Enjoy :)

Director Vance knew he had done something very stupid. How had he not noticed that? As an NCIS director he always read the fine print and figured out loopholes. He must have been too stressed. Well, it was too late now. She had him over a barrel now and there was nothing to be done about it. "Okay, fine. Is that all that needs to be done?" She nodded smilingly at him. He cleared his throat, "That's good then. Did you want anything else? Like talk to Jared?" He knew Jared likely would not want to talk to her, but he felt it was the decent thing to do. She chuckled, "No thanks. Perhaps later." With that she shook his hand and left, adding over her shoulder, "I'll see you tonight."

Vance turned to see Tony's face quite pale. "Hey, are you okay? You need to sit down?" Tony shook his head. "You don't know what the serum is, do you?" Gibbs gripped Tony's arm, "Hey. He doesn't need to know that now. Later." Dinozzo looked at him, then nodded. "When you have a minute in private later, I'll tell you." Vance nodded back at him, wondering what he had gotten himself into now. He'd better phone Lara now to pack up some stuff for the kids for their sleepover.

As Vance picked up the phone, Tony and Gibbs walked out the office to the waiting team. They all saw in an instant that the shackles were gone. "You're free!" shouted Abby. Gibbs finally allowed himself a huge grin. He couldn't speak what he felt so he slipped into sign language, _I love you. Thank you for never giving up on me. They did bad stuff to me, but I knew you would never give up hope._ She beamed and signed back, _I know. Even the last time when we thought you dead, I never gave up on you. You're my best friend._ He smiled again and opened his arms to engulf her in a big hug.

Ducky had waited patiently for the tender moment to pass, then politely said, "Jethro, we need to take both of you to a hospital at the very least. I know you were whipped just yesterday, and I see the evidence on that arm of yours. It needs to be treated. As for Anthony, I am quite sure he needs something as well. He mentioned his chest?" Bishop gave a significant look to Tony but did not tell the kindly doctor about the _other_ thing that had happened to him. Gibbs sighed, "I'm sorry. No hospitals. I'm fine. Tony, did you want a hospital?" Anger burned in Dinozzo's eyes as he replied, "Definitely not, not with me having been...never mind. No." Ducky was exasperated with them, but he understood. "At the very least let me check you over." Gibbs and Tony glanced at each other before Gibbs nodded agreement.

They soon found their way to Ducky's private office. "One at a time?" he asked. Gibbs replied for them both, "We've seen each other at our worst. It's okay." Jared came to them and looked at them questionly. Gibbs gave his trademark quick smile, "It's all over, Jared. We're back. And you're here too." Jared cocked his head, "Back for good?" Gibbs sighed, "Well, yes, with a few vacations with her now and then for me. But whatever. It'd done now, and it's over." Jared touched Gibb's silver collar, then his own. "With her...it's never over. Be careful." He then walked away quietly.

Dr. Mallard cleared his throat, and the two men turned. They went inside, and it was time for the unwrapping. Gibbs went first, and sat down. He tried to get his t-shirt off himself but was unable to. Ducky was very concerned but gently helped it off him. He pursed his lips at the bandages, but got to work unwrapping him. Finally the last one fell away and the angry criss-cross stripes were fully on display. Gibbs said nothing. Ducky couldn't restrain a "tsk-tsk" but checked him over for any infections. Finding none, he cleaned up the blood where the scabs had broken. "You really should have a good course of antibiotics as well, but I can put on some cream on these for now. I'll get you meds later. I'm afraid I can't avoid hurting you though." Gibbs rolled his eyes, "Just do it. I've been worse."

Ducky carefully slathered on the healing cream over the welts, trying to ignore his patient sucking in his breath on the most painful parts. Finally it was done and he got proper bandages to wrap him. He also made sure the arm was taken care of as well. Finished, he turned to Tony. Tony took Gibbs' place and tore off his shirt. Ducky paused, seeing more bandages covering his chest. "Did she…?" Tony softly answered, "Yup. She marked me." Ducky shook his head and took off those bandages to reveal the curving graceful bird that now adorned Tony's chest. He swallowed bile, but dutifully cleaned that up as well. He checked Tony's back and found he had been whipped as well, but it had already healed enough to do nothing. He wrapped up Dinozzo's chest gratefully, glad to get that hideous thing out of his sight. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Gibbs said, "Yes" at the same time that Tony said, "No." They looked at each other, then Gibbs insisted, "You need to get looked at." Tony looked at the ground and didn't reply. Ducky was sure he knew what was going on, and so quietly but directly asked, "Did Phoenix rape you, Anthony?" A nod. "More than once?" Another nod. "Three times?" A shake of the head. "Was the last time recent?" A nod, and a whisper, "Last night."

The kindly doctor felt like he could murder someone, but he remained calm. "Okay. I do need to take a quick look. I promise it'll be fast." Gibbs promptly said, "I'll leave to give you guys privacy." He stepped out of Ducky's office and left them in peace. He had his shirt in hand and struggled to put it on. Damn it...where was his buttoned shirt when he needed it? Jared appeared out of the shadows and quietly helped him. "Is Tony okay?" he asked. Gibbs nodded, "He will be, in time. So will you."

Soon Gibbs and Dinozzo sat down with the team to hash out what happened to them. Yes, they had to give Phoenix what she wanted, but that didn't mean they couldn't tell NCIS details about her. Dinozzo wound up the meeting by saying, "There were so many other slaves that we wished we could have helped along the way but they were just…" he struggled for the words. Jared, standing nearby, (he had so far refused a chair) answered Tony, "They were just like me? Beaten, given no choice? Eternally between the devil and the deep blue sea? Always giving up yourself for your owner to take you, or be at the mercy of the lash? Yeah. It's tough to believe there's anything like **hope**." Gibbs nodded, "Even in the last day...we met Ian, an ER doc. He was pretty low. And the other fella, what was his name, Tony?" Dinozzo thought for a minute, "Oh yeah...Adrian Trent." Bishop jumped up, "Trent? His name was Trent?" Startled, Gibbs and Dinozzo looked up at her. She continued, "Did he mention children?" Gibbs said, "Yeah, a boy. Connor." Ellie sat down with a thump. "We met Ensign Connor Trent on Lance Corporal Randall's ship. You just met his dad, who was taken when Connor was twelve."

Everyone was shocked for a minute how small a world it was. Well, to be honest, in Phoenix's world it was even smaller. They talked for a minute of whether they should let Ensign Trent know that his father was still alive. After a bit, they decided to leave it alone. Trent had been terrified of the thought of Phoenix, and rightly so too. Unless something drastic happened, there was no way of getting his father back anyway.

After the meeting, Vance told Gibbs and Tony to go on home. Their keys had been left in the car at the scene of their kidnapping, so Bishop had taken care of them. They'd even gotten Gibb's car repaired too, in the hope of his needing it again. Ellie asked them, "Do you need someone with you for the first night? Or are you okay being by yourself?" Gibbs immediately shook his head, "I'm fine. Jared is coming with me anyway. He'll be better with me than Abby. He's still scared of her. Tony? Did you want to come with us?" Tony replied, "Actually, do you know what? I'd rather just have my own bed in my own apartment, with just me in it. But thanks for the thought, Boss."

Abby looked at the two of them and clapped her hand on her forehead. "We forgot the collars!" All three men automatically touched their collars. It had been on them for so long, they had no longer thought about them at all. Abby had been the one to figure out how to unlock Gibbs' silver collar the last time...it had been a type of magnetic collar. She hurried off to the lab where she had stored the magnetic key, just in case she needed it again. Soon she was back, and in a flash Gibbs' neck was free once again. Only a light ring of skin around his neck showed where the collar had lain. Abby quickly freed Tony as well, and moved on to Jared. But he put up his hand, and shook his head no. He looked around and realized he had to explain his actions. He quietly said, "Yes, I've had this for nine years. I don't feel free yet though. I need to feel like I can make my own choices, and when I do...the first one will be to remove my collar. But for now, it stays." Abby smiled at him (happily, Jared noticed, not the other fearful kind of smiling, that meant trouble coming for him), and replied, "Of course, Jared. That is _your choice_. I respect that."

Later at the house, Gibbs opened the fridge and found that someone had thoughtfully stocked his fridge. _Beer! I seriously need a nice **cold** beer._ He plucked one out and drank gratefully. "Jared? You want one?" The sandy haired man shook his head. He'd had nothing but water for the last nine years. He wasn't about to start with alchohol. Not to mention that anytime someone started drinking, he usually got punched. He was sure Gibbs wouldn't do that, but he'd watch him anyway, just in case. Gibbs gazed at him for a long moment, then softly said, "Your parents miss you very much. Would you like to see them?" Jared stared at Gibbs. He blinked and tried to get his thoughts coherent, "They're still alive? They're okay?" Gibbs grinned at him, "Yup, they are. And I think they'd love to see you, if you're up to it." Jared thought for a minute, then answered, "Yeah...I'd like to see them. Not today. Tomorrow?"

Gibbs picked up the phone and dialed Jared's parents. He got Peter Malone on the third ring. "Hello?" Peter said. Gibbs replied, "Yeah it's Agent Gibbs calling." Peter exclaimed, "Gibbs?! You're back! We heard that you and Agent Dinozzo had been captured on the way back from seeing us. You've been gone a long time. You're okay?" He answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. We're fine. We'll survive. Listen, we brought someone back with us. It's Jared." He heard the sound of a phone almost being dropped, and chuckled. Now he heard Peter's wife in the background, crying. Peter's voice sounded through the phone, thick and emotional, "You've brought our son back? I can't ever thank you enough, Agent Gibbs." Gibbs immediately said, "I actually had nothing to do with that. But anyway, he'd like to see you." Peter fairly shouted, "Of course! When? Today?" Gibbs chuckled again, "Ah, he needs a day. Tomorrow is better. Jared? Tomorrow morning?" Jared froze. He wanted to see his parents. But he also dreaded the visit. He must have changed so much in nine years. He didn't want his parents to see the broken down shell of a man that he was now. However, his parents must have suffered so much not knowing where he was, or even if he was still alive. He had to honour his parents but… "No." He couldn't say more, but Gibbs understood. "Do you need more time?" Peter's voice in his ear said, "If Jared doesn't want to see us, we understand. Tell him he can take all the time he needs." Gibbs relayed this to Jared, who finally responded, "No, I have to do this. Later in the afternoon is okay. That'll give me time all day to get used to the idea."

Agent Gibbs explained to Peter, "He'll see you. He just isn't the same man that left you nine years ago. Phoenix has done a lot to him, so you'll need to be open minded when you see him. It'll be okay." He set up a time to meet, and hung up.

He showed Jared the bathroom and the bedroom where he would sleep. Jared looked at the bed and shook his head. "I can't...a bed...no. Can I just sleep on the floor?" Gibbs gazed at the bed, and understood. The only time Jared had ever been on a bed in the last nine years was when Phoenix used him for her pleasure. Yes, he definitely wouldn't want a bed now, even if he was safe. Jared would be too used to a cold hard floor anyway. "I have a sleeping bag you can use for tonight. We'll work up to a bed, slowly. Jared gratefully accepted the offer. They both went to bed early, revelling in the delight of choosing your own bedtime without fear of punishments.

_Leon had given Lara the night off, since the children were gone. She had wanted to stay and cook him some supper. He had refused, knowing he'd not be able to eat anything. Tony had told him what the serum was, and he had been furious at Phoenix for making anyone suffer through such a terrible ordeal. Of course, now he'd go through it himself, paying for his own stupidity. The trick was though, it was technically "consensual" because he had signed his name to the damned document. Still, he knew he'd be in for a painful night. He knew through Tony that Jared had willing stripped for Phoenix anytime she asked, even if he done it the night before. Leon couldn't understand this. Yes, Jared had been a slave, but to be raped like that willingly night after night was unthinkable. Suddenly his thoughts fled from him and fear gripped him when he heard the doorbell ring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, Jared's parents must be over the moon excited for tomorrow! Poor Vance though, but at least he knows it's a one time deal. Final chapter is next!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Thank you all for reading my story :) Please review and tell me what you think!

Gibbs pulled up to the nice looking house he had visited once before. Jared had an unreadable expression on his face as he looked at his former home. Gibbs waited, knowing Jared would speak when he was ready. Jared sighed, and turned to Gibbs, "I don't know if I can do this." Gibbs nodded, "Take your time. I know they'd like to see you. But I think they'd understand if you want to wait." Jared looked at the bright house again, but determinedly said, "No…I gotta do this. You're coming, right?" The agent replied, "Sure, if you want me to." Gibbs turned the car off and got out of the car. Jared followed suit, and walked behind Gibbs as they went up to the house. Gibbs went ahead and opened the door, as he had called before he left NCIS. They'd be ready and waiting. Jared hesitated at the doorframe, but he stepped through resolutely.

He walked through the once familiar house to the living room. He saw two older people, sitting on chairs, waiting for him. When had his mother and father gotten so old? He had almost forgotten it was nine years ago that he had seen them last. His mother rose, tears in her eyes, and walked hurriedly to him with her arms out. Jared stepped back hastily. _Raised arms are never a good thing._ Mrs. Malone stopped suddenly in confusion, but Gibbs understood. He put a hand on Jared's shoulder. "She's not going to hurt you, Jared." Jared looked at Gibbs, and again at his mother. He had forgotten himself. "Hello, Mother." Mrs. Malone smiled and reached for his hand, and squeezed it motherly. "Welcome home, my son. We have missed you so much!" His father came up behind her, and he squeezed Jared's shoulder. "Yes, Jared, it's so good to see you again." He motioned to the couch, "Come on, sit down." They all sat, except Jared. He hadn't been allowed on furniture in years. He was a little undecided of what to do, and Gibbs calmly said, "It's okay, Jared. Sit beside me. You're fine." Turning to the perplexed couple, he explained, "When you're a…slave…you are expected to kneel on the floor. Furniture is off limits. He just needs a little time." Mrs. Malone struggled not to cry, and Mr. Malone swallowed a big lump in his throat. His son had gone through so much horror…of course he couldn't just pick up where he had left off. Jared finally made up his mind and sat next to Gibbs. He took off his jacket, and his parents couldn't help but see the silver collar glinting on his neck. His mother looked away quickly, but made herself refocus back on her son. _Her son, who had finally returned._ Mr. Malone broke the silence, "We are so happy that you are here. Whatever you want to tell us is fine. We don't know everything you've been through, but you don't have to share anything with us if you don't want to. Just know that we're here for you now."

Jared looked at the floor, not knowing what exactly to say. The silence stretched on, until broken by the kettle whistling. His mother jumped up, glad for the excuse. "I'll have coffee or tea served for anyone who wants some?" Gibbs smiled, "Coffee would be great, thank you." Jared said nothing, until she asked him, "Jared? Do you want anything?" He looked up at her, ignoring the urge to kneel. "Water is just fine, Mother." She nodded, then hurried off to the kitchen. Within a few minutes, she came back with a coffee for Gibbs, and tea for herself and her husband, and a glass of water for Jared. She handed him the water, and he paused before reaching up to take it. Both parents noticed the scars around their son's wrist as the long sleeve shirt pulled back as he moved to take the glass. Jared sensed the stares, and quickly pulled the sleeve back up again. His father mentally shook his head. _How many scars are underneath? Do I really want to know what happened to my son?_ Mrs. Malone paled when Jared flinched when she reached across him to hand Gibbs his coffee. _How many times did she hit my son? Why would she do such a thing to him?_

Their son finally spoke. He started in a whisper, then built up slowly to a normal tone. He continued looking at the floor as he talked, "Mother, Father…I know I can't imagine what it's been like for you when I was…gone. But I know you can't imagine what it was like for me either. I was so relieved to find that Phoenix hadn't touched either of you. I, um, suffered a lot under her. I was…beaten…starved…whipped… _raped_ …" He sighed, and then continued, "I did a lot of things I'm not proud of, because I had no choice. This last year has been the worst for me, because what I did for Agent Gibbs. I have to say…that I don't regret it…he was worth it. But my life was **a living hell**." He broke off, staring off into the distance, fingering the clip on his collar. Silence reigned, until both parents stood up and moved closer. Gibbs gave up the couch so each parent could sit on either side. They squeezed Jared's shoulders in loving understanding. Peter Malone spoke up first, "It's okay. We get it. I wish I could have found you and gotten you out. I am so sorry that I failed." Jared snapped, "No. Don't be sorry. You would have ended up like me, or dead." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you." He smiled wryly, "With her, that would have earned me a few more stripes." He stiffened when his mother tried to hug him again, and she felt that. She pulled away apologetically, "We're not going to hurt you, Jared. It's okay. You're safe with us." Jared finally smiled at them. It was so good to see them, and to know they were both fine.

 ***Knock knock!*** Everyone startled at the door sound. Mr. Malone rubbed his son's shoulder one more time before standing up and walking to the door. He opened it, and looked into the cold grey eyes of Phoenix. He wavered for a second, knowing exactly who it was. Finally he found his voice, "Just what do you think you're doing here?" She smiled at him, "Let me in." Cowed, Peter stood aside. Her presence was so strong that he understood how Jared felt. She walked in, with Peter at her heels. Turning around the corner, she stood in full view of everyone in the living room. Gibbs leaped off his chair, and Mrs. Malone went pale. Jared froze and stared at her. Gibbs was angry. He understood that he had a bargain with her, but this was ridiculous. Jared suffered so much at her hands, and she should have left him alone with his parents. He growled, "Phoenix. What are you doing here? You have no right." He would have said more, but a hand on his arm stopped him. It was Jared, standing next to him. "It's okay." He slipped off to her, and knelt before her. She looked down at him, then up at his frightened parents and the livid Gibbs. "I have every right to be here." She grabbed Jared's collar with her hand. "See, my collar still lies there. He is still mine." Mrs. Malone jumped forward, "NO! He's my son, and he belongs here!" She turned to Gibbs, "Tell her that! She can't have him!" Gibbs looked furious, but answered, "I can't do anything. We have…an agreement…I can't arrest her. Or she'd be on the floor at this very moment, begging for mercy," he finished, glaring at her.

Phoenix smiled that cruel smile Gibbs knew so well. She still had her hand on Jared's collar, and pulled up on it to cue him to rise. He did, with eyes still on the ground. She said, "Well, Jared. It seems up to you now. You **are** free...and your first act of freedom is a choice. Are you willing to go with them? Or will you come with me?"

Jared closed his eyes. Memories flashed through his mind: him as a smiling and happy young child with his favourite red toy plane. A birthday party…his 10th? Graduating from high school with his friends and family around him. Going to university to become a doctor. The woman he had loved. Then the painful memories came…when she had first captured him. The whippings. The humiliating things he had to do. The first time she took him to her bed. How she always managed to make that experience gut-wrenchingly painful. How he now knew what she wanted, before she asked him, most of the time.

_"Do you think you will ever be free from me?" she had whispered in his ear, as he crumpled in a bloody heap after a particularly brutal whipping. "No…you'll never be free. You'll always feel me. The scars will always remind you of me. Imagine for a moment…you've somehow been liberated…but I will always haunt your thoughts. I will come after you, wherever you are. And your friends? Your family? What do you think I will do to them? Those parents of yours? And the woman you loved, all those years ago?" He had shuddered more under the verbal torture than the physical one. She had dragged him from the floor and tossed him in his cell. He had nearly died that time, from the infections. He lived, but her words had never left him._

Jared looked at his parents for a long moment, then at Gibbs. The agent was suddenly afraid for a moment. _He wouldn't…would he?_ Jared took a breath, and locked eyes with Phoenix. He made his voice steady, and made his choice, "I am yours, my lord."

His mother nearly collapsed, but his father grabbed her and took her into his arms. They were both crying, but understood there was not a thing they could do. Gibbs tried one more time, "Jared…" but he was stopped when Jared raised his hand to silence him. "No, Silver Fox…I must. _I must do this._ She owns me, body and soul. And you are safe. You _all_ are safe. That is all that matters." Phoenix looked at them victoriously, then reached into her pocket. There was that dreaded leash, but Jared silently permitted it to be snapped to his collar. Phoenix said nothing to the stunned people in the room, and walked away, Jared following closely behind. Neither looked back as they went through the front door.

Gibbs took his leave of the couple, whose very heart had been ripped from them once again. He felt gutted himself, and sat in his car in silence. He knew perfectly well that Jared probably had a good reason for doing what he did. He sacrificed himself over everyone every single time. Gibbs looked at his wrists, scarred from his ordeal. It would not be the last time he heard from Phoenix, because of his deal with the devil. He dreaded the next time he saw her, but at least it would not be permanent. He thought of the brave young man once again, and damned Phoenix. Gibbs and Tony would carry their scars forever, but Jared…Gibbs looked at the darkening evening, and saw the first star come out. _I wish..._ but he knew no wishing would ever put things right once again. Another thought floated through his head from a book he once knew:

_Many sink down to the Underworld  
And few return to the sunlit lands…_

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

 _Phoenix hauled Jared to the door of her building. A female guard stepped up, and asked, "Want me to take him?" The grey-eyed woman glanced at her slave, and tugged the leash. He looked at her, a little confused. "Kneel, boy." Jared immediately knelt. She looked out away to the shadowy field and trees, and asked, "See that, Jared?" He looked, and waited. She took his head in her hands and purred, "You will never again leave my side, unless I ask you. Look at the field, the trees, the sky...and taste the freedom you have tossed away. Do you understand, boy?" Jared sighed, and softly replied, "I understand. I am yours forever until I breathe my last breath." Satisfied, Phoenix gave the leash to the guard. Jared got up and followed her in. Phoenix looked out once again at the black sky twinkling with stars. She zipped up her jacket as there was a chill in the air. Winter was coming. She hated the cold snow and ice...it was time to move for the winter, but where should she go this time? She glanced up at the glittering sky once again, thinking,_ "New Orleans is quite nice at this time of year."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus point: Guess where the quote is from :)   
> Is there a continuation? Yes...it's in the making!


End file.
